FFT: An Alternate Storyline
by SilverEquity
Summary: This is very loosely based on FFT. I basically used a few character names, and a few classes, that's it. Otherwise, the story is very different...take a look.
1. Default Chapter

_**Chapter One- Abduction at the Monastery**_

_As the light began to fade from the reddening sky, one figure remained locked in position, kneeling before the altar. Hands clasped together, eyes gently closed, Princess Trista looked, at first glance, fast asleep, mind lost to her own thoughts, but this was not the case. The young girl's delicate lips parted slightly, whispered words of gratitude flowing from them, an ending to the silent prayers. Flutteringly, her eyes opened, revealing orbs of astonishing azure, out of place in the drab surroundings of the holy place. Decoration was sparse, as it was not necessary here. The Princess slowly rose from her kneeling position, breathing quickly, as she always did after calling to those who guided the people along their various paths. The flames of the candlelight flickered across her youthful and vigorous features, illuminating a small smile of simple contentment. Her duties for the day were complete, now she needed to head back to the castle._

_At the thought of the vast building, stretching across the plains, her heart fell slightly...though she was treated very liberally at the royal castle, occasionally it felt like imprisonment. She could still perform her religious ceremonies, and yet it wasn't the same. This place felt so much purer, veritably bursting with spiritual emanation. Still, she began to step lightly towards the door, her footfalls making hardly a sound on the stone floor below. Her breathing regular, the Princess viewed the heavy wooden door lying before her, ancient, warped with time. She pushed it open with an effort, feeling less buoyant than when she had entered. A blast of cool air played across her face, cooling her after the mental exertions she had performed, and she sighed slightly. Standing, she viewed the waning sun with wonder, dipping gradually beyond the hills surrounding the monastery, bathing them in a wonderful golden light, as if they were ablaze. Her eyes gazed over the view, completely lost in it's majestic nature- such a sight was not available at the castle in Hanan._

_However, she was unexpectedly jolted out of her reverie by a raised voice, sounding frantic. She spun on her heels and noticed that Agrias, and the Hanan knights accompanying her were racing up the slope at top speed, and saw with horror that one the knights was wounded, with blood rushing down his shoulder. Something was terribly wrong. She turned to Agrias, who was shouting something in her direction, her pure white cape flowing out behind her._

"_Princess! Please, go back inside the monastery! Hurry!"_

_The Princess wanted to ask her what was happening, why was one of the knights wounded, but something in Agrias's voice prevented her. There was a tone of urgency in her tone, bordering on panic, and that was what scared the Princess most. Agrias never panicked, ever. She was always so collected and quietly confident, but the Princess had never seen the Holy Knight look as worried as she did now. Without a moments hesitation, she nodded at Agrias and hastened fearfully back into the monastery, the towering door slamming shut behind her. She gathered herself for a time, hearing the faint voice of her protector just outside the door, and calmed down slightly. The voices outside faded as she ran back towards the altar, and knelt hurriedly. Though she knew not what was going on, she would pray to the heavens, in the hope that things would right themselves. _

_As the royal Princess concentrated on her prayers within the old building, Agrias Retana was crouched on the soft grass outside, tending to the wounded knight's shoulder. She winced as he groaned in pain, and she knew that this wound could take weeks to fully heal, and the man was certainly in no condition to travel now. With the aid of the other knights, they propped him up against the dusty walls of the monastery, and his breathing became shallow as he lay there. Agrias knelt down next to him, and put a hand to the side of his face, looking at him. He would live, but medical attention was needed, and they had no mages amongst them. Remembering the situation, she quickly rose to her feet once more, nodded to the remaining three knights, and together they stood at the peak of the marble steps, waiting to confront those who had arrived. As the knights kept watch, tension etched into every worried face, thoughts swirled around the sharp mind of Agrias, like the wind cutting through her flowing blonde hair- why were they being attacked? Why did they seek the Princess? _

_Ahead of them, the knights of death were approaching...the forces of Prince Goltana. Though only five of them, Agrias knew better than to underestimate the dark knights. The sun had winked out of the sky now, giving way to the encroaching blackness of night, but they could be seen, advancing, with the harsh moonlight reflecting off their blackened armour, dark cloaks billowing out behind them with the wind. As the wind picked up slightly, the Hanan knights began to shiver slightly with fear, for they knew the reputation of the dark knights. Of Goltana's forces, they made up the bulk, and were known as stalwart fighters, amassing many victories against the men of Hanan. However, Agrias knew that her men were a match for them- the Hanan knights were well trained, and very capable with blades. And yet...still she wondered about the true intentions of this raiding party. Surely they would not send such a minute force to try and kidnap the princess...unless she was missing something vitally important. She peered through the gloom, but the passing of a large cloud over the moon ended her search. Agrias gritted her teeth, frustration creeping into her voice as she spoke to the male knights behind her._

"_Get ready. We must protect the Princess at all costs, even should it mean our lives are forfeit. The Hanan knights fear no-one."_

_The knights behind her grasped their scabbards, their blue cloaks and armour now visible in the moonlight, which had burst through it's temporary prison, revealing the dark knights, now approaching the foot of the steps cautiously. They finally stepped onto the stone floor, lining up at the other end of the place where battle was to commence, glaring with hostility at the Hanan knights, who stared impassively back, none more so than Agrias Retana. The scene was set, only one thing remained in her mind- protect the Princess, even should it cost her life. Yet...no movement was made. Each side merely stood opposite each other, blades sheathed, the dark knights smirking slightly, and quite suddenly, Agrias and the Hanan knights discovered the exact reason for the wait._

_Out of the gloom behind the knights, a figure rose slowly, as if climbing from the abyss. As the light footsteps drew nearer, the dark knights drew their blades, dully catching the moonlight. The Hanan knights looked to Agrias for orders, but she was staring with horror in her eyes at the man now at the forefront of the opposing knights. He stood tall, his silvery hair blowing about him with the gusts, partially obscuring his deceptively gentle face. At the sight of him, terrible images of torture and despair flew through the mind of Agrias, for this was no ordinary knight. The man stood before them was one Victor Eldair, the reknowned swordsman of the Goltana forces, and head of the dark knights. Countless lives had been lost on account of his blade, which was sheathed in an immensely long cloth at his side. As Agrias tried to keep control of her fear, the black cloth gently fell away, carried on the wind, revealing the slim, curvatured blade beneath. Eldair raised the sword to his waist, smiled confidently and called out to the Hanan._

"_This is the escort of Princess Trista? Don't make me laugh. You know the futility of facing us, yet you still consider resistance? Surrender now, and I assure your places in the ranks of the dark knights, and your lives need not be wasted." He spoke with a soft, persuasive tone, and the knights of Hanan began to feel their resolve weakening. But at that, Agrias gathered herself together and her long blade flashed out of her sheath in response, the runes clearly visible in the night. Upon seeing this, the dark knights stepped back as one, now slightly more cautious, all arrogance faded. _

"_The Hanan shall never surrender to the likes of you, Eldair. This place shall be your burial ground, I'll be sure to mark it with flowers once you depart from the world." Agrias spoke with vigor, yet Eldair merely laughed in response, and his knights followed suit. The beautiful face of the Holy knight burned, and she struggled not to rush forward at once. Eldair raised his wicked sword to the sky, and then pointed it directly at the face of Agrias._

"_It will be a great shame to harm your pretty face, but I have no choice. Nobody insults the dark knights, least of all some noble from Hanan. We'll look after your precious princess after you're gone, Agrias Retana." He laughed at the blank shock imprinted upon the female's face, but then his face took on a hardened expression. Without another word, he leapt forward and his knights followed quickly, rushing towards the Hanan knights._

_Though outnumbered, the Hanan held their ground, but the skill of Eldair was irresistible, and they began to fall back. Agrias, having slain a knight of her own, realized suddenly that they had only one chance of victory against this lethal foe. She called her remaining two knights onwards, and backed to the door of the monastery, closing her eyes shut, concentrating with all her soul. Instantly, the runes engraved into her blade, now soiled with blood, began to glow light blue in the darkness, illuminated against the curtain of black surrounding them. As another Hanan knight fell to the blade of Eldair, Agrias opened her eyes and swung her blade horizontally, the entire length of her sword now taking on a bright blue glow, causing the enemy to back away. Then she charged them, moving lithely and agilely through their ranks, cutting down all who opposed her, as if driven by the most immovable force known. One by one the dark knights fell, their cries echoing around the monastery grounds, but nobody was there to hear them. _

_Except...Eldair viciously pulled his blade out of the last Hanan knight, who fell, wide-eyed, to the ground, where he ceased to live. He turned around with a small amount of surprise in his eye- he had not known that this woman was a Holy knight. Indeed, she was of rank, and he smiled as he thought of the satisfaction of defeating her. Crouching opposite him was Agrias, now breathing heavily from her exertions, and barely keeping hold of her blade. She stood shakily, her blue eyes now gleaming brightly, but the tip of her sword wavered slightly. She was spent, but Eldair didn't have to know that. But her heart sank as she saw more figures approaching the stairs of the monastery, at least twenty more dark knights stood, fresh. Yet Eldair ignored them, and moved forward to engage Agrias. _

_Though she now knew that he death would be here, the Holy knight made the decision to at least slay Eldair before she was killed, and a terrible enemy of the Hanan would be vanquished at last. But he moved with liquid grace towards her, looking calm and assured, moving in for his prey. Agrias summoned the last reserves of her strength, and swung her sword sideways at a blistering pace, grimacing as the movement opened up a wound in her leg further. But the deadly metal arced towards the famed swordsman, and her eyes shined with renewed hope. Fate, however, was not on her side. Eldair spun to the side with astonishing speed and lifted his own blade, clashing it against Agrias's, giving it extra power...but he was no longer there to be hit by it. The additional momentum sent Agrias sprawling the floor, her leg a bloody mess, and her head slammed into the marble of the stairs. Her vision winked out for a moment as the derisive laughs of the dark knights reached her ears, and she shut her eyes against them. Yet still, she battled on, and stood up again, now visible swaying in the hostile atmosphere, with Eldair merely observing her. She moved forward again, but before she could even hope to mount any sort of attack, Eldair darted forwards and knocked her off balance once more. Then his foot whipped up and pounded against her injured leg. For a second time the female knight hit the ground, and this time she did not get up, as the excruciating pain forced consciousness out of her, her breathing becoming passive and more shallow by the second. Eldair watched for a moment, and then nodded in satisfaction. He swiftly swept a slim hand towards the monastery, his silvery hair now across his brow, hanging over the headband holding it up. Immediately all of the dark knights made their way to the monastery, intent on the capture of the Princess._

_As the knights bustled into the inner monastery, Princess Trista remained crouched in a kneeling position, still before the altar. Without regard to the religious ceremony, Eldair's men strode arrogantly up to the Princess, who looked up, fear and despair obvious in her eyes. The knights laughed to themselves, and one of them spoke to the young girl._

"_Now listen here, your Majesty, you'll be comin' with us now, a'right? We got orders to take yer away from this forsaken place, and we gotta leave, now!" He spoke with a heavily sarcastic tone, and he smirked down at her._

"_B-but, where's Agrias? W-what's..." She spoke in a trembling tone, but got no further as the man grabbed her wrist and twisted, causing a sharp cry of pain to emit from the Princess. The others laughed appreciatively, and the man leaned closer to her, whispering now._

"_Your protector's dead, little girl, or soon to be, anyway. You'll be seein' her as we go out, so ya can say bye then. Now get up!" He dragged her up by the arm, and as a crowd they hustled her from the monastery, struggling. In the commotion, nobody saw the pendant ripped from the around the neck of the Princess, and it dropped silently to the floor by the altar, gleaming sharply in the flames. They left, and the building fell silent._

_Just outside the wooden door, the rain had finally begun to fall. Small drops firstly, followed by larger drops, until it was raining fairly heavily. Princess Trista staggered out of the monastery doors, pushed by the mob of knights, slipping slightly on the wet marble. Looking around she saw with shock the bodies of the three Hanan knights, then the knights she had seen earlier, still propped against the wall, unconscious. Her eyes moved on, and widened as she saw the fallen body of Agrias. Tears filled her eyes, mingling with the raindrops cascading down her delicate features...Agrias was dead, and it was all her fault! She had caused this! Her face screwed up in anguish, but she resolutely held back her emotions, refusing to give the uncouth, jeering group escorting her even more to laugh about. Yet, they halted outside the door, and Eldair stood up, bowing courteously to the Princess. Then he laughed slightly, and swept a hand in the direction of the deceased Hanan knights, the body of Agrias, and the injured knight. He snapped his fingers, and one of the dark knights lumbered forward, his footsteps causing splashes of water on the ground._

"_Princess, I am glad to see you unharmed. I hope my men weren't too...rough with you..." He smirked slightly. "We'll be escorting you back to Lord Goltana's territory now, he shall be glad to see you." Seeing the Princess gazing in horror at Agrias, he casually waved a hand in her direction and continued. "Yes, your precious Holy knight has been defeated. She is no match for me. She is not dead...but perhaps she will beg for death shortly."_

_He laughed, and then kicked the wounded leg of Agrias, reviving her from unconsciousness with a jolt. As he did so, the dark knights who had stepped forward drew his blade and stalked heavily over to the one remaining wounded Hanan knight. As the knights surrounding the steps leered in savage anticipation, the Princess looked away as the man raised his steel and plunged it brutally into the man's abdomen, ending his life instantly. She looked back and saw the group shuddering with sick laughter, but controlling it due to their respect for Eldair. _

_Agrias was now awake, her eyes lidded dully, with her lips drawn back in a grimace of pain. She rolled over slightly, her white cape now soaked through, the blue Hanan symbol obscured by mud. She glanced upwards and saw Princess Trista staring at her in wide-eyed terror, her tears now clearly visible. Agrias tried to mouth comforting words, but it was no use, the pain was too great. Rain splashed into the wound in her leg, and the pain was agonizing. Eldair looked down at her, his expression impassive. Then he kicked lashed out with sudden viciousness, kicking her in the stomach with one capped boot, and then doing the same with her leg. Agrias's self control snapped at last and she screamed in utter agony, her cries echoing around the foothills surrounding the monastery. As Eldair smirked in satisfaction, and the dark knights laughed once more, Agrias screamed in pain, and then eventually subsided, shaking uncontrollably, her blue eyes narrowed in utter hatred, boring into the purple eyes of Eldair's face, never wavering. Another shudder wracked her shivering body, and she groaned softly, grasping her leg gently. But the merciless Eldair knocked her slim fingers away, and stamped down on the wound in her leg once more. The screams echoed out of Agrias's mouth yet again, not only with blinding pain, but also fueled despair and hatred for the abominable swordsman above her. Suddenly gripped by a rage, Eldair continued lashing out at the stomach and side of Agrias, breaking two ribs in the process, and then crunched his fist onto her leg. The cries of Agrias gradually faded to soft whimpering, but still she remained conscious, as if to defy the man who tortured her so. Eldair was silently impressed with her resilience, but it would end here. He raised his foot once more, to finish the job, when a sudden cry sliced through the air, from his right._

"_Stop! Please, no more! I beg of you!" The Princess had been unable to contain herself, and had finally broken out of her shock of seeing her beloved guardian being brutally beaten. Her simple dress was drenched with rain, and she looked pathetic in the hostile surroundings. Yet, Eldair brought his foot down to the ground and looked at her. For a long time, nobody said anything, and then at last the vicious man walked away, towards the Princess Trista. She cringed backwards in fear, but he stopped and nodded to his men. They began to march away, taking the princess with them, her terrified shouts lost to the darkness pressing in._

"_No, help, somebody! Agrias! Agrias!" The dark knights laughed as the tears flowed at the thought of her protector, destroyed by this vile man, whoever he was. They made their way down the steps again, and the many footsteps began to fade, at last, the black armour fading into obscurity, melding with the blank backdrop. _

_Only Eldair remained. He surveyed the four dead knights impartially, and then turned back to Agrias, who had, after an immense effort, forced her damaged body into a seated position, swaying in the pouring rain. As her matted hair gathered around her face, Eldair knelt gently down in front of her, and grabbed her chin with one hand. Her blue eyes burned with hatred, narrowed to slits, and he just grinned maliciously at her. Gripped by fury, Agrias tried to hit him with her elbow, but the man with the silver hair deftly stopped her, and then pushed her sprawling in the dirt, head ramming into the wet ground with a dull thud. The rain continued it's relentless downpour, never ceasing, and Agrias lay unmoving on the wet ground. The last thing the Holy knight heard was the soft laughter of Eldair, and the faint cries of the Princess echoing in her own mind. At last her resolve gave out, and she drifted out of consciousness, and she cared not if she returned anymore. The Princess was gone, and she had failed in her duty. As Eldair walked slowly away down the slope, Agrias clenched her hand into a fist, and then her head fitfully dropped one last time to the unforgiving stone below, eyes sliding out of focus, mind spiraling down into the depths of obscurity._

_**Chapter Two- The Manipulator**_

_Throughout the night, the rain continued to flow freely, not halting even for a moment. After many hours of constant downpour, the water finally subsided, and the clouds withdrew to reveal a night sky filled with stars, glinting brightly, oblivious to the incident at the Monastery of Exlin. And as the body of Agrias Retana lay undiscovered in the early hours of the morning, one man was watching the sun slowly gather height in the skies above, illuminating all with it's presence. He sat atop a small hill outside the nearby village of Talaran, peering up, watching the light progress across the horizon, rising slowly, with infinite patience. His face remained hidden in the shadow of the white hood, carefully placed over his black hair. Yet, from the light his steel-grey eyes could be seen, filled with serenity, but also a certain hardness. After several hours fixed in this position, he lightly sprang to his feet and walked slowly back to his shelter, ready to leave for the village itself. It was to be a day of consequence, this one, and he must be prepared._

_At the same moment in time, two youngsters sat on their respective beds in the Castle of Hanan, primary base of the Hanan Knights. One was sitting back idly, his feet thumping against the hard mattress as he moved his legs, staring up at the ceiling lazily. The other, a girl, was sat on the edge of her bed, the very embodiment of tension. Having recently completed their training, and passed the entrance exam for the knights of Hanan, they were now awaiting their first mission, albeit in their own ways. The young man was named Lessan Salandra, the young woman, Teresa Belloc. Though both currently at the tender age of nineteen, they were both of wildly differing personalities. As they waited for somebody to give them the orders, Lessan kept tapping his foot against the mattress and footboard, whilst Teresa sat in silence, contemplating what they might be assigned- surely nothing too difficult, for a first mission. All the same, she could not disguise her worry easily, and her shoulders were slightly hunched as she sat, her pretty face creased into a slightly frown. She glanced up suddenly._

"_Lessan? You don't think they'll set us something…really hard, d'you?"_

_Lessan frowned slightly himself in reply, and stopped his foot. Without looking away from a point on the cream composite ceiling, he answered, confirming Teresa's thoughts._

"_Doubt it. They wouldn't send a coupla newly passed cadets on a tough mission."_

_Teresa nodded assent, but she still looked very worried all the same. Lessan shrugged slightly, and kept staring skywards, despite feeling more than a little anxious himself._

_A few minutes of nervous silence, accompanied by the occasional cough from Lessan, followed. Eventually, however, the moment arrived, and a fully fledged knight strode arrogantly into the small room, glancing disdainfully at the sparse and shabby decoration, then sneering as if were the fault of the two knights before him. Then he spoke slowly, in a patronizing voice, to both of them._

"_Alright you two, listen good. We're pretty shorthanded thanks to a few personnel going missing recently, and so we're going to have to toss you a pretty minor assignment. All you have to do it head for the village of Talaran, not too far from here. Word is, there's been a disturbance there recently, and a few villagers have been complaining about injuries, and even deaths caused there of late." At his words, Teresa's blood ran cold. Deaths? That didn't sound too inviting…but she remained silent, her eyes fixed on the tall man._

"_Talaran's northwest of here, if you didn't know. All you gotta do is head there, discover what is causing the disturbance, and prevent it. Easy, huh?"_

_With that, he turned to walk out of the room, but Teresa stopped him with her soft voice once more._

"_Okay…do you have any more information on what it might be?"_

"_Yeah, and who do we report to anyway?" Lessan's question followed her own, and the exasperated knight answered quickly._

"_We only know that it may be dangerous, and it appears that only one person has currently been sighted. Report back to me once you get back, or if you get into any trouble…which you probably will." Fixing them with an insolent glare, he strode from the room, taking a small poison cloud with him._

"_What a moron." Lessan had jumped up quickly and he spoke without bothering to see whether the knight could hear or not. Picking up his lance gently, and twirling it like a baton, he raised an eyebrow at Teresa, who stood ready, he magical bangle in her delicate hand, and the rapier clipped to her side._

"_Ready?" Teresa nodded, looking slightly ill at the prospect of leaving the safe castle, but she followed Lessan out of the room anyway, but with less spring in her step than she'd had when she entered._

_After several hours of traveling towards the distant village, Lessan and Teresa got to know much more about one another. Though both had attended cadets, neither had really spoken before, merely competed, as they all had. Lessan had known of Teresa's magical prowess only through his own friends, as she had been consistently able in that area. Teresa had known exactly who Lessan was, but had never spoken to him, as she had privately thought that he had been a loud, overconfident, immature young man. But she had been too quick to judge, and gradually they became more acquainted._

_Lessan had been raised in a deprived family, with many brothers and sisters, all of whom had gone on to become bakers, smiths, and the like. However, said Lessan with a laugh, he had never been cut out for the likes of manual labour, and so had applied for the cadets. His natural ability with his polearm had earned him the praise of his peers, and many admirers. Now, looking at him closer, Teresa could see that he was actually reasonable looking, with blonde hair that hung over his brow slightly, and reached the collar of his all-blue outfit, which bore the crest of the Hanan. Teresa herself had divulged that she was from a more privileged background, having had a father who had been a competent commander of the knights before he had been cut down in combat many years ago. She herself was a very pretty girl, if not slightly demure, and she made little effort into improving her appearance. When Lessan asked about the necklace that she wore, she fell silent, and so he decided not to pursue the subject further. But he realised that they would probably work well together on this mission, and so the two of them remained cordial, getting to know each other. However, as they entered the borders of the small, backwater village, they didn't manage to spot that they were being carefully, and stealthily watched…_

_Upon reaching the outskirt border, they stopped, slightly in awe of the first thing that they saw. A vast, tremendous airship was floating in the sky daintily, held up by magic, as they all were. Lessan had, of course, seen pictures of the huge flying machines before, but had never had the pleasure of seeing one in the flesh. It was love at first sight. Teresa, having overcome here initial shock, glanced sideways and smiled to herself a little at Lessan's expression. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Lessan was jolted from his fascination, and grinned at Teresa._

"_What's the betting that whatever's causing this "disturbance" is on there?" He laughed slightly, but then his face became serious again. He had been assigned group leader, and it was his task to guide the two of them according to his own judegment. Feeling the weight of this responsibility on him more heavily now that they had arrived, he quickly arranged with Teresa to meet at the local tavern in one hour, and to gather any and all information possible in the meantime. Then he nodded and jogged quickly off, leaving Teresa alone with her thoughts, a trouble expression plastered once more upon her features. She kept assuring herself….standard procedure, standard procedure…but that didn't prevent the writhing feeling in her stomach as she followed the footsteps of Lessan, walking slowly into Talaran._

_Lessan, upon reaching the village, had decided that although they were meeting in the tavern later, it couldn't hurt to head there first. Taverns were always good for useful information and tales...and a drink wouldn't go down too badly either. His boots clicked along the dusty path, and his uniform attracted a few glances from those outside- after all, not many knights came around to Talaran nowadays. Opening the small door, with a boot, he strode extravagantly in, an entrance designed to attract attention to himself, and sat down haughtily, staring at the bartender as if expecting drinks to serve themselves. The wide man obliged quickly, hoping that if he treated the Imperial knight well, he might get an extra tip, or maybe even a mention in higher circles. Bringing a large ale over, he decided to risk conversation with the important looking man, who seemed unusually young to be of the Hanan, which was, of course, exactly what Lessan had been aiming for._

"_G'morning to you sir, another fine day, isn't it? If it is not too bold, might I ask if your travels have been safe thus far?" Lessan stared at the man for a moment, his cool gaze making the man begin to regret his decision on attempting a conversation, but then gave a reply._

"_Yes, thank you. Is there a reason that they may not have been?" Lessan was fishing, and the bartender unwittingly swallowed the bait._

"_Aye, well…you see, there've been some minor, ah...well, some attacks, sir. Outside the village, some people were hurt…and a few have even been killed of late. We didn't know what ta do, so the village leader, Mr.Opise, requested help from the castle." The bartender's voice shook slightly as he spoke of the deaths, and Lessan's expression softened slightly, wondering if this man had perhaps lost somebody close to him in the process. But still, he pressed the man, scanning the bar as he did so._

"_I see. Well, that's what we're here for. Tell me…have there been any confirmed sightings of the assailants? Perhaps a description would help..." He tailed off, for the bartender, who had just sat down, was shaking his head quickly, his chins wobbling as he did so._

"_Naw, ever'one was either knocked out or killed, and can't give any info to us, 'tis a shame." Lessan nodded, having expected this- they wouldn't have summoned the knights unless it was serious._

"_I understand. Tell me…what of the airship outside?" The bartender brightened slightly this time, feeling that the conversation was moving on to something that he could understand more. His voice was slightly more positive when he replied this time._

"_The airship! It arrived here around a month ago, it's been supplying the local supply shops, weapons stores, and granaries with food, they've been tradin' for a while, I reckon. Guess they must like it here, huh?" But Lessan's radar had twitched, crucially. A trade vessel, staying for over a month? In cities, of course, and occasionally in large towns- but in a village? It was unheard of. How could these people not put basic facts together? But, standing up, he decided to check, just in case._

"_And when did you say that these attacks started happening?" The bartender smiled slightly as he replied, but his grin faded as realization hit him like a wave._

"_Well, I didn't say, but….well, around…a month…ago…oh. Oh dear." Lessan was already stood up and halfway to the door, when the flabbergasted tavern-master turned on his heels, and started to speak, but Lessan shushed him with a gesture, then inclined his head to indicate gratitude, which the man returned, confused as he was. Then the knight was gone. Shaking his head in bemusement, the barkeep turned back to the table to clear up the half-drunk ale, and therefore failed to notice the man who had followed the knight out, dressed in a white robe, and a dark red cloak, a purely white hood cast over his head, obscuring his face effectively..._

_Teresa Belloc, having wandered aimlessly around for long enough, decided to visit the leader of the village, whose house was located to the west. She walked there slowly, admiring the various jewels and clothing that was available in the village, at such low prices. All they could afford. Teresa smiled sadly at the thought, wishing that things could change for the villages- perhaps when the reform came later in the year, things might change. That is, if the feud with Goltana was solved quickly enough. He had already gathered much support in the south, and there was talk of a possible war with the Hanan, perhaps even dragging the other five great nations into the war, to protect their own interests and ideals. Teresa shuddered at the thought of a mass war, that might envelope the entire world, and pushed the terrible images out of her mind, focusing instead on the house that now stood in front of her. _


	2. Chapter 2 Talaran

_**Chapter Two- Taliban**_

_Throughout the night, the rain continued to flow freely, not halting even for a moment. After many hours of constant downpour, the water finally subsided, and the clouds withdrew to reveal a night sky filled with stars, glinting brightly, oblivious to the incident at the Monastery of Exlin. And as the body of Agrias Retana lay undiscovered in the early hours of the morning, one man was watching the sun slowly gather height in the skies above, illuminating all with it's presence. He sat atop a small hill outside the nearby village of Taliban, peering up, watching the light progress across the horizon, rising slowly, with infinite patience. His face remained hidden in the shadow of the white hood, carefully placed over his black hair. Yet, from the light his steel-grey eyes could be seen, filled with serenity, but also a certain hardness. After several hours fixed in this position, he lightly sprang to his feet and walked slowly back to his shelter, ready to leave for the village itself. It was to be a day of consequence, this one, and he must be prepared._

_At the same moment in time, two youngsters sat on their respective beds in the Castle of Hanan, primary base of the Hanan Knights. One was sitting back idly, his feet thumping against the hard mattress as he moved his legs, staring up at the ceiling lazily. The other, a girl, was sat on the edge of her bed, the very embodiment of tension. Having recently completed their training, and passed the entrance exam for the knights of Hanan, they were now awaiting their first mission, albeit in their own ways. The young man was named Lessan Salandra, the young woman, Teresa Bellow. Though both currently at the tender age of nineteen, they were both of wildly differing personalities. As they waited for somebody to give them the orders, Lessan kept tapping his foot against the mattress and footboard, whilst Teresa sat in silence, contemplating what they might be assigned- surely nothing too difficult, for a first mission. All the same, she could not disguise her worry easily, and her shoulders were slightly hunched as she sat, her pretty face creased into a slightly frown. She glanced up suddenly._

"_Lessan? You don't think they'll set us something…really hard, d'you?"_

_Lessan frowned slightly himself in reply, and stopped his foot. Without looking away from a point on the cream composite ceiling, he answered, confirming Teresa's thoughts._

"_Doubt it. They wouldn't send a coupla newly passed cadets on a tough mission."_

_Teresa nodded assent, but she still looked very worried all the same. Lessan shrugged slightly, and kept staring skywards, despite feeling more than a little anxious himself._

_A few minutes of nervous silence, accompanied by the occasional cough from Lessan, followed. Eventually, however, the moment arrived, and a fully fledged knight strode arrogantly into the small room, glancing disdainfully at the sparse and shabby decoration, then sneering as if were the fault of the two knights before him. Then he spoke slowly, in a patronizing voice, to both of them._

"_Alright you two, listen good. We're pretty shorthanded thanks to a few personnel going missing recently, and so we're going to have to toss you a pretty minor assignment. All you have to do it head for the village of Taliban, not too far from here. Word is, there's been a disturbance there recently, and a few villagers have been complaining about injuries, and even deaths caused there of late." At his words, Teresa's blood ran cold. Deaths? That didn't sound too inviting…but she remained silent, her eyes fixed on the tall man._

"_Taliban's northwest of here, if you didn't know. All you gotta do is head there, discover what is causing the disturbance, and prevent it. Easy, huh?"_

_With that, he turned to walk out of the room, but Teresa stopped him with her soft voice once more._

"_Okay…do you have any more information on what it might be?"_

"_Yeah, and who do we report to anyway?" Lessan's question followed her own, and the exasperated knight answered quickly._

"_We only know that it may be dangerous, and it appears that only one person has currently been sighted. Report back to me once you get back, or if you get into any trouble…which you probably will." Fixing them with an insolent glare, he strode from the room, taking a small poison cloud with him._

"_What a moron." Lessan had jumped up quickly and he spoke without bothering to see whether the knight could hear or not. Picking up his blade gently, and twirling it like a baton, he raised an eyebrow at Teresa, who stood ready, her magical bangle in her delicate hand, and the rapier clipped to her side._

"_Ready?" Teresa nodded, looking slightly ill at the prospect of leaving the safe castle, but she followed Lessan out of the room anyway, but with less spring in her step than she'd had when she entered._

_After several hours of traveling towards the distant village, Lessan and Teresa got to know much more about one another. Though both had attended cadets, neither had really spoken before, merely competed, as they all had. Lessan had known of Teresa's magical prowess only through his own friends, as she had been consistently able in that area. Teresa had known exactly who Lessan was, but had never spoken to him, as she had privately thought that he had been a loud, overconfident, immature young man. But she had been too quick to judge, and gradually they became more acquainted._

_Lessan had been raised in a deprived family, with many brothers and sisters, all of whom had gone on to become bakers, smiths, and the like. However, said Lessan with a laugh, he had never been cut out for the likes of manual labor, and so had applied for the cadets. His natural ability with his sword had earned him the praise of his peers, and many admirers. Now, looking at him closer, Teresa could see that he was actually reasonable looking, with blonde hair that hung over his brow slightly, and reached the collar of his all-blue outfit, which bore the crest of the Hanan. Teresa herself had divulged that she was from a more privileged background, having had a father who had been a competent commander of the knights before he had been cut down in combat many years ago. She herself was a very pretty girl, if not slightly demure, and she made little effort into improving her appearance. When Lessan asked about the necklace that she wore, she fell silent, and so he decided not to pursue the subject further. But he realised that they would probably work well together on this mission, and so the two of them remained cordial, getting to know each other. However, as they entered the borders of the small, backwater village, they didn't manage to spot that they were being carefully, and stealthily watched…_

_Upon reaching the outskirt border, they stopped, slightly in awe of the first thing that they saw. A vast, tremendous airship was floating in the sky daintily, held up by magic, as they all were. Lessan had, of course, seen pictures of the huge flying machines before, but had never had the pleasure of seeing one in the flesh. It was love at first sight. Teresa, having overcome here initial shock, glanced sideways and smiled to herself a little at Lessan's expression. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Lessan was jolted from his fascination, and grinned at Teresa._

"_What's the betting that whatever's causing this "disturbance" is on there?" He laughed slightly, but then his face became serious again. He had been assigned group leader, and it was his task to guide the two of them according to his own judgement. Feeling the weight of this responsibility on him more heavily now that they had arrived, he quickly arranged with Teresa to meet at the spot where they now stood in two hours, and to gather any and all information possible in the meantime. Then he nodded and jogged quickly off, leaving Teresa alone with her thoughts, a trouble expression plastered once more upon her features. She kept assuring herself….standard procedure, standard procedure…but that didn't prevent the writhing feeling in her stomach as she followed the footsteps of Lessan, walking slowly into Taliban._

_Lessan, upon reaching the village, had decided that although they were meeting in the tavern later, it couldn't hurt to head there first. Taverns were always good for useful information and tales...and a drink wouldn't go down too badly either. His boots clicked along the dusty path, and his uniform attracted a few glances from those outside- after all, not many knights came around to Taliban nowadays. Opening the small door, with a boot, he strode extravagantly in, an entrance designed to attract attention to himself, and sat down haughtily, staring at the bartender as if expecting drinks to serve themselves. The wide man obliged quickly, hoping that if he treated the Imperial knight well, he might get an extra tip, or maybe even a mention in higher circles. Bringing a large ale over, he decided to risk conversation with the important looking man, who seemed unusually young to be of the Hanan, which was, of course, exactly what Lessan had been aiming for._

"_G'morning to you sir, another fine day, isn't it? If it is not too bold, might I ask if your travels have been safe thus far?" Lessan stared at the man for a moment, his cool gaze making the man begin to regret his decision on attempting a conversation, but then gave a reply._

"_Yes, thank you. Is there a reason that they may not have been?" Lessan was fishing, and the bartender unwittingly swallowed the bait._

"_Aye, well…you see, there've been some minor, ah...well, some attacks, sir. Outside the village, some people were hurt…and a few have even been killed of late. We didn't know what ta do, so the village leader, Mr.Opise, requested help from the castle." The bartender's voice shook slightly as he spoke of the deaths, and Lessan's expression softened slightly, wondering if this man had perhaps lost somebody close to him in the process. But still, he pressed the man, scanning the bar as he did so._

"_I see. Well, that's what we're here for. Tell me…have there been any confirmed sightings of the assailants? Perhaps a description would help..." He tailed off, for the bartender, who had just sat down, was shaking his head quickly, his chins wobbling as he did so._

"_Naw, ever'one was either knocked out or killed, and can't give any info to us, 'tis a shame." Lessan nodded, having expected this- they wouldn't have summoned the knights unless it was serious._

"_I understand. Tell me…what of the airship outside?" The bartender brightened slightly this time, feeling that the conversation was moving on to something that he could understand more. His voice was slightly more positive when he replied this time._

"_The airship! It arrived here around a month ago, it's been supplying the local supply shops, weapons stores, and granaries with food, they've been tradin' for a while, I reckon. Guess they must like it here, huh?" But Lessan's radar had twitched, crucially. A trade vessel, staying for over a month? In cities, of course, and occasionally in large towns- but in a village? It was unheard of. How could these people not put basic facts together? But, standing up, he decided to check, just in case._

"_And when did you say that these attacks started happening?" The bartender smiled slightly as he replied, but his grin faded as realization hit him like a wave._

"_Well, I didn't say, but….well, around…a month…ago…oh. Oh dear." Lessan was already stood up and halfway to the door, when the flabbergasted tavern-master turned on his heels, and started to speak, but Lessan shushed him with a gesture, then inclined his head to indicate gratitude, which the man returned, confused as he was. Then the knight was gone. Shaking his head in bemusement, the barkeep turned back to the table to clear up the half-drunk ale, and therefore failed to notice the man who had followed the knight out, dressed in a white robe, and a dark red cloak, a purely white hood cast over his head, obscuring his face effectively..._

_Teresa Bellow, having wandered aimlessly around for long enough, decided to visit the leader of the village, whose house was located to the west. She walked there slowly, admiring the various jewels and clothing that was available in the village, at such low prices. All they could afford. Teresa smiled sadly at the thought, wishing that things could change for the villages- perhaps when the reform came later in the year, things might change. That is, if the feud with Goltana was solved quickly enough. He had already gathered much support in the south, and there was talk of a possible war with the Hanan, perhaps even dragging the other five great nations into the war, to protect their own interests and ideals. Teresa shuddered at the thought of a mass war, that might envelope the entire world, and pushed the terrible images out of her mind, focusing instead on the house that now stood in front of her. The neatly printed sign outside proclaimed to her that it was the home of the "Village Leader! Visitors always welcome!" She frowned slightly, lines of worry appearing on her forehead for a minute, but she decided to go inside. This might be the best place to get answers, after all. _

_The interior was surprisingly well decorated, with ornate wooden furniture, plush carpet underfoot, and lots of light streaming through the windows. Generally, it contrasted with the other buildings in Taliban, which were efficiently put together, but had nowhere near the style of this place. As Teresa was pondering this, a man stepped through into the front room she was in, startling her slightly. _Why am I so jumpy? _she thought, shaking her head a little, as if to clear it. The man, obviously the occupier, moved forward._

"_Greetings, knight of Hanan. It's a pleasure to receive you here, in my home. Is there something that I might help you with?" He held out his hand, and she shook it gently, smiling back at him, and nodding. But the man turned away a little, looking nervous, and his eyes slipped over to another doorway for a split-second, but Teresa caught the glance. She thought nothing of it for now, and followed the man back into yet another room, which was obviously the sitting room. He sat down heavily, with a sigh on the navy blue sofa, and invited Teresa to do the same with a gesture. As she sat down, feeling the cushions soft underneath her, he spoke again before she could._

"_Ah, I'm sorry. My name is Will, leader of Taliban. I was a little surprised to see you, you'll have to forgive my initial rudeness. Can I get you a hot drink, or anything?" Teresa, who had traveled for a while with nothing but water, would have loved some tea, but..._

"_Well, I don't want to cause you any trouble or time, so-" but Will was already bouncing up out of his seat and waving her off, setting off for the kitchen, where she could see him partially. After a moment, he called back to her over the noise of the kettle._

"_So, what brings you here, Miss...? Are you the ones dispatched by the castle to try and solve the disturbances?" He glanced back at her nervously, and then busied himself with the teapot. Teresa settled forward in her seat, and called back to him._

"_I'm Teresa Bellow, of the Hanan, as you said. Yes, we're here to look at the disturbances. My first assignment, as it happens." At that, Will seemed to relax slightly, but Teresa didn't notice._

"_Ah, right. Well, guess I'd better tell you what I know, then. Do you take sugar?"_

"_Yes, please, just one."_

_Will came back with two steaming cups of tea, and Teresa accepted hers_

_gratefully, thanking him, and brushing her black hair over her shoulder. He sat down again, peering at her intently, and _

_then began. _

"_Ok. Well, these disturbances are definitely a problem, I suppose. People _

_have gone missing, and I think there have been a few deaths. Though_

_nobody knows if they're related, the townspeople decided to contact the _

_castle directly anyway, not through me." He looked a little nervous again, _

_and Teresa couldn't place why. His eyes kept flicking over to her left. But_

_she carried on anyway._

"_Alright. Where have these deaths and disappearances taken place? Have _

_there been any witnesses at all? What state were the victims in?" She sipped her tea slightly, feeling it warm and soothing in her mouth. Will sat forward, shoulders hunched, and tension evident._

"_Well, they've all been near the woods outside the village, to the west. Nobody's seen anything of the attacker, or attackers, because there aren't any witnesses. And the victims aren't anything special, just blade wounds, no magical residue or anything." He added this last part as almost an afterthought, casually. Teresa wondered how a villager knew so much regarding this kind of thing. She drank a little more tea, and felt the air getting hotter. Sun must be getting out properly, at last. It was nearly midday._

"_Okay, thanks, Will. I guess that we'll check out the woods for anything that might help, and question a few other villagers. But thank you for the information, and the tea was great, you've been very hospitable."_

"_You will try your best to stop this, won't you?" For the first time, Will seemed genuinely concerned, almost a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. His face was anxious, but expectant. Teresa smiled at him brightly._

"_Of course! The Hanan will always try their best to serve the people, no matter who they are." Seeing Will's eyes flick towards the doorway again, she assumed that he must have guests coming, and she stood up to leave. But it was getting hotter, and for some reason, she struggled to get to her feet, using the sofa as a rest. Her head swam, and her vision doubled, and she abruptly sat back down. And that's when it all came together in her mind- the glances towards the door, the seemingly insincere attitude towards the deaths, the tea...the village leader of Taliban had drugged her! And even as she thought this, she could taste the sourness in her mouth, the taste of betrayal. She looked up at Will, who was merely staring back at her, with a little fear in his eyes. She tried to call out, not knowing what she was going to say, but it was too much. She folded sideways on the sofa, eyes closing, too weak to stay awake anymore, it felt so good to sleep..._

_Will watched her for a while, brooding. Then a figure came through from the front room, and another from the kitchen. Still, he sat there, knowing they would tell him what to do. One of the men stepped next to him and put a heavy hand on his shoulder._

"_Well done. You were right, the Hanan did send a knight out here. She is out of our way now." This man nodded to the other, who strode out of the door, carrying Teresa over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing at all. After a minute or two, the other one started for the door._

"_Wait."_

_Will had raised his head and called out. The man turned back skeptically. Was this going to be another moan about how it was immoral? They were paying him well enough. _

"_Yes?"_

_Will looked almost in pain._

"_There might be more knights here in the village to interrupt your...our operation. Be careful." _

_The man at the door nodded. They already knew about the other knight that was with this one, he would be no trouble. He stepped through the doorway when Will called him back again. _

"_Please, don't hurt her." His face twisted slightly with the obvious guilt that was weighing his heart down. The man at the door merely stared at him sharply, and then strode out of the doorway. As the front door slammed behind him, Will put his head in his hands slowly, with a sinking heart._

_One o'clock. _

_Lessan sat on the grassy hill outside of the village, waiting for Teresa to arrive. He lay back in the grass, looking up at the sky. The sun had stayed out, and beamed down at him from up high, bathing him in hot light. It was humid, and he fanned himself with his chest plate as he waited, thinking about what he'd learned. The attacks were to do with the airship, but he had guessed that as soon he'd arrived. How had the villagers not seen it through the "trade ship" cover? He supposed people were more trusting when they were away from hostility- additionally, Lessan knew a lot about airships._

_While he waited, the young man thought about how he had gotten here. He had passed his exam with merit, a reasonably high grade, though nothing spectacular. Seventh in a class of fifty wasn't too bad, he figured. He'd been one of the twenty assigned directly to the castle, whilst the other eighty had been sent out to keep watch on various towns, some spying on the enemy. At first, Lessan had considered it an honor to be so close to the main planning and council areas, so close to his majesty, the King, and the Queen. But after a few weeks, he had tired of it, bored of the lack of activity in the castle, bored of the monotonous tasks he was given around the castle. Recently he had been offered the chance to train some cadets himself, but had been reluctant, hoping to get sent away for more exciting and varied work- something that was true to his idea of being a Hanan knight. And his hopes were answered with this assignment, even he was paired with someone who he hadn't known that well, and who...appeared to be late. Very late, in fact._

_Lessan sat up. He hadn't realised how quickly the time had flown by, and found it was gone past two o'clock. Perhaps he'd drifted off. But Teresa still wasn't here, and he knew that was definitely odd- she'd seemed to meticulous, a real worrier, and it wouldn't be like her to turn up late. Something had to be wrong...he could feel it now. The young knight jumped to his feet, blonde hair catching the light as he did. Standing for a moment, he pondered what his options were. He could either wait it out for a while longer, or go searching for his comrade. And because he was impatient and feeling restless, Lessan jogged down the hill leading to the village, as he'd done a few hours earlier, but not before glancing back over his shoulder curiously, his blue eyes looking suspiciously back at the copse of evergreen behind him. He could've sworn he had felt eyes on him. After a moment, he disregarded it and ran off down the slope._

_The eyes watched him until he went out of sight, and then vanished themselves, as if they had never been there at all._

_Much later, after much questioning, searching, and general anxiety, Lessan came back to the area where he had been, up on the grassy hill, flopping down onto the floor with disgust and despair. He hadn't found Teresa, and had no notion of where she might be. Obviously she had encountered trouble, or she had just followed up on some information she'd gotten, and...and what? Vanished without trace? Surely not. Teresa wouldn't just leave him, so she had to be in trouble, somewhere. After all, it was why they were here, to investigate the disturbances, but it seemed that the disturbances had investigated Teresa first. He slammed a fist into the dirt suddenly, hanging his head. He couldn't just go and check out this airship by himself, and yet, he had no choice. Teresa was probably there, or nearby there, and it was up to him, now. His bronzed face was turned towards the sun now, as it began it's descent beyond the horizon, flaring orange against the pinkish backdrop of the sky. As it shone on the face of Lessan, it revealed a look of determination, and controlled aggression. He would find Teresa Bellow, somehow. And he was beginning to formulate a plan. He stood up, and headed west, to the "forest of the dead", as the Taliban natives had nicknamed it. Maybe he could figure something out once he got there. As he walked off, he didn't realize that he'd left his chest plate on the grassy knoll, and the sun glinted off it, catching the gold that was inlaid into the blue._

_Teresa woke with a start._

_She looked around, her head still feeling a little cloudy and heavy, and tried to get her bearings. As her vision wavered, she shook her head, and it came back. She wasn't surprised to feel her hands tied behind her back in excruciating fashion, and she knew that should she try and loosen them, she'd be risking breaking her arm. She settled back and looked around studiously. She seemed to be inside a metal room, and now she felt the coolness of it against the back of her neck, making the hairs on her nape stand on end. There wasn't anything remarkable about the place that might distinguish it, but Teresa guessed, correctly, that it was on the airship they had seen to the north of the village. _

_It all came back to her then- the encounter with Will, the not-so-leaderlike village leader, who had drugged her, by the feeling of fogginess in her mind. She felt lost at sea, almost, helpless. Her hair was in disarray, and her clothes were disheveled, she'd been dragged up here by somebody. Who? Were these people behind the disappearances? Surely, they were. And she had been taken by them, and she ground her teeth together in frustration. How could she have been so careless? Teresa let her head drop in utter despair. She'd failed in her task, she'd failed Lessan...Lessan! She raised her head again. Would he come and rescue her? But then, he would be putting himself at risk, again, and the young woman didn't want that._

_As thoughts whirled around her mind, she didn't notice the shadow coming up by the side of her. By the time she did, it was too late. She felt a huge blow to her head, and she toppled sideways again, her mind slipping gratefully into unconsciousness. There were fewer thoughts to worry about there._

_As night descended upon Taliban, the villagers all went inside, the shopkeepers closed up their stores, counting the profits of the day, and the creatures of the night came out to hunt- owls swooping silently onto unsuspecting mice, shrews digging through the grass to find food, badgers checking the soils. Will, the village leader, still sat morosely, looking into the fire at his grand fireplace, thinking. The bartender of the tavern was excitedly telling his wife about the meeting with "that Hanan Knight", and how much of an experience it had been. The knight in question was pitching his tent at the edge of the forest, just inside the tree line, setting up camp for the night. He had decided that it would be easier to look around the area tomorrow if he stayed here, rather than the tavern, and he might come across something later. And so, he removed his boots and armor and clambered inside the tent, sitting up cross-legged for a while, thinking frantically about what course of action to take. He thought over the situation again, and again, and again, and at long last, the solution presented itself to him. And he was in the perfect position! Smiling craftily, he went outside again, and swiftly gathered some dry wood from the underbrush of the forest, hurrying as the light was fading rapidly from the sky, as the sun dipped beyond the horizon. Once he'd gathered enough for a reasonably sized fire, he hastily seized a small flare from the pack that he carried around with him- standard issue for the Hanan reconnaissance. Concentrating on shielding the wood from the wind that had begun to spring up, he managed to make the firewood catch alight and the flame blossomed quickly, seeking the dryness of the wood. Whilst it gathered strength, Lessan went and got some more wood, for later, and stowed it away next to the tent. For a while he just sat there, feeding wood into the flames, building the fire until it was very intense, making his blond hair damp with sweat. And then, he waited._

_3 o'clock, the next day._

_In the middle of the night, as the residents of Taliban slept (or drank and thought depressing things, in the case of Will), two figures crept through the blackness, and looked anxiously up at the sky. The heavens looked like they might repeat the trick of the previous night, and open up the floodgates, thereby drenching them. But the rain held off, for now. They stood at the edge of a forest which they had come to know well, and examined the fire that was blazing just a few hundred meters away. Illuminated by the orange spirals of flame was a small tent, probably capable of holding two men, they thought. They crept closer to see._

_These two men had names, but didn't bother to use them. Nobody asked for their names in an organization like theirs, especially people as lowly in rank as themselves. They were both rough looking, and had a malevolent glint in their eyes- eyes of hardened criminals, as they both would testify. They merely called themselves Cossack, in the case of the larger man, and Hunter. Nobody had ordered them here. Nobody had asked them to come here. They just came here because they wanted to hurt people, and in a village, people didn't ask too many questions, the poor fools. Though they were wary of each other, they both had respect for each other, too. The "disappearances" were on their account, caused by their inability to control their bloodlust. If the organisation discovered they were attracting attention to themselves by these killings, then...well, it didn't bear thinking about. And so the two never breathed a word of their antics to anybody, even if some in the organization suspected them. Though they knew they should stop they couldn't- the killing was simply too good to resist, for them. And tonight, they wanted to add another one or two to their collection, satisfying their murderous instincts. _

_As they stepped stealthily closer to the source of the heat, Cossack realised that the shadow in the tent only indicated one person sleeping. He grinned to Hunter, and jerked a thumb in that direction. Hunter was puzzled, but then understood and smiled back savagely in return. They made their plans quickly, and Hunter agreed to keep watch in the trees, whilst Cossack made his way to the tent to drag whoever it was out. And so, with Hunter lazily keeping an eye on things, Cossack snuck up to the tent from the side, so the fire would not cast his shadow onto the tent canvas and show him up. He'd done this before a lot, and was confident. He eventually got around to the front of it, and saw he barely had to stoop his head to get in. But he waited for a moment, gathering his wits. Then he went into the tent in a flurry, fully expecting whoever was in there to wake up, but knowing that he would still be able to capture him. As Cossack burst in, he looked around at the sleeping man on the floor, and saw no movement. Frowning, he went over to him, and threw back the sleeping bag impatiently. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the collection of sticks and armor and clothing that had been piled there...to look like a sleeping man. As realization dawned on his face, he felt his legs kicked out from under him abruptly, and he slammed into the floor hard, completely winded. As he gritted his teeth, he felt a shadow pass above him, blotting out the roaring fire, and felt something hard strike his head. And then he felt no more._

_The first thing Cossack saw when he woke up was the fire. It roared, blazing towards him, flinging it's ashes up to the sky. And in front of it, a tall man. He couldn't see his face because he was merely a silhouette, surrounded by a corona of orange, he seemed to glow, like something from high above. Cossack whimpered as he discovered that he was tied to a thick tree near to the fire, and Hunter was sitting next to him, his head lolling bonelessly on Cossack's shoulder. It wasn't supposed to be like this! They were the hunters, they were the stalkers, they were the ones with the power! Not him! This couldn't be happening! _

_But it was._

_Lessan stepped forward, so that Cossack could see his face, and it was unlined, hard, and completely devoid of any pity. Cossack, though larger and older than the young knight, quivered under that unrelenting and quietly furious gaze. The knight knelt down next to his helpless captive. He knelt there for a time, just looking at Cossack, and the criminal desperately tried to avoid his gaze._

"_I want to know who you are, what you're doing here, where you're from, and where my colleague is. Now." Though Lessan spoke quietly, it was sincerely, and his tone was laced with quiet aggression and anger. Cossack picked this up, and feeling the pain in the back of his head more strongly, replied quickly, hoping to avoid the wrath of this...this man._

"_W-we're just guys from the organization, we-"_

"_The airship?"_

"_Yeah." Cossack shivered at the thought of the trouble he could get in for confirming that, but it was nothing compared to the fear he felt right now. He was pitiful, and helplessly beyond his own control. He was visibly quaking now as the man's face darkened. _

"_Why are you here?" Lessan kept his voice level._

"_...we came to kill you."_

"_Why?"_

_Cossack didn't answer, and Lessan hit him in the face, hard. Cossack felt his nose break, and struggled not to break down into tears as the blood gushed from his nose profusely._

"_Tell me, now." The tone and calmness of Lessan seemed to make Cossack even more fearful._

"_Because you were sniffing around our base. The Hanan can't interfere, whatever happens." He was lying of course, but Lessan seemed satisfied, as if he had been expecting this. He reiterated his final question._

"_And where is my colleague, the female knight?" Lessan knew that Cossack knew where she was, they all must do._

"_I don't kn-"_

_Lessan smashed his fist into Cossack's face again, his face suddenly utterly furious._

"_WHERE IS SHE!" His voice thundered into the ears of Cossack, and he started blubbering wildly, crying from the agony in his nose, but also out of fear._

"_She's on the airship! Please, d-don't hurt me no more! Please! Oh, G-god..." Cossack's voice was desperate, and pitiful. Lessan stood up, and then put him out of his misery by kicking him in the face. Cossack's head fell back, unconscious- the last thing that he saw was Lessan's blond hair shining in the light of the fire, almost like a halo._

_The young man then started shivering all over, suddenly, as the reaction of what he'd just done came through to him. He wasn't used to combat, and hadn't thought he would have it in him. But...in the end, he'd managed to get the information he needed, and now he could plan. At daybreak, he would be able to set out again to try and find Teresa, but for now, he needed his rest. Running a hand through his hair, he yawned, still a little shaken. When the fire crackled suddenly, he jumped, and then laughed at his own tension. But there was no denying it- he'd been scared, even if he hadn't shown it. Still...he'd gotten lucky with these two men. He'd thought that if he made his presence obvious, with the fire, that those responsible for the deaths would come and try to get him. And so they had. He was almost disappointed with them, he'd expected more of a challenge, but these criminals had been overconfident. What about next time? He would see the next day, he supposed._

_Lessan knew what he had to do, and was ready. _


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3- The Manipulator**_

_The next day, the sun rose earlier than anticipated, accompanied with the very unusual appearance of the planet Telex, which was a considerable distance away from the planet that it was viewed from. This whipped the various astrologists in both the Hanan and Goltanan forces into a frenzy, which both sides wildly predicting the other's downfall on that day. Whereas the Hanan sky-searchers urged their king to begin to advance their forces discretely, without attracting too much attention, the Goltana astrologists strongly encouraged open warfare. It was during one of these reports that the leader of Hanan, King Terl, received an urgent message, "of the highest priority", so said the anxious, earnest knight who had interrupted. Terl held up his hand for silence from the astrologist who was rattling on about constellational movement, and the man fell silent. Though his expression showed he was perturbed, he didn't say anything. You just didn't question the orders of a King, least of all King Terl. He was a large powerful man, with a deep booming voice that commanded attention, and respect. But he was also wise, and most of the final decisions regarding civil laws and military strategy were made by him, with the aid of his tactical advisors. Definitely not a man to cross, at any point. King Terl started to question the messenger further, but these was a sudden commotion from outside the doors, knights were shouting and protesting. Then, the doors flew open, slamming against the wall with bone-shattering force._

_And the figure that stood there was none other than the loyal servant of the Hanan. King Terl gaped for a second, completely caught off balance._

"_Agrias?" The King's voice was filled with incredulity, but also dismay. For it was Agrias Retana, the Holy Knight, but she was most definitely not in a good state. Her blue and white outfit was shredded and torn, dirtied by traveling, and there was a huge gash in her leg, caked with dried blood. Several large bruises could be seen, including one on her forehead, and her expression was etched with pain and also, shame. It was then that King Terl started to worry. Agrias had been protecting his daughter, as always. Where was Trista? He opened his mouth to ask these things, but Agrias was clearly struggling to speak to him. She was leaning very heavily on both her sword, in one hand, and on one of the King's men, Oichi Femet. Her face, full of scratches but still so beautiful, radiated effort as she opened her mouth. Leaning even more on Oichi, who bore her weight easily, she closed her eyes for a minute, breathing heavily, and everybody who saw her in this state felt tears wanting to spring to their eyes. It was such a pitiful sight. Agrias opened her eyes again, but looked groggy now._

"_M...My King...I-uhh..." She didn't have the energy to finish, and slumped backwards, where Oichi caught her dead weight deftly. For a moment, everybody froze, and the sight was almost poetic. The only thing that broke the silence was the blood dripping to the floor from Agrias' mouth. The King cast his eyes downwards, and then looked up and spoke._

"_Oichi, take Agrias to the medical area, at once. Stay with her, and get any information you can. Make sure that she gets priority, and look after her."_

_Oichi nodded, saluted with one hand, and then lifted Agrias up into both of his arms, carrying her gently out of the room. The King then called for a council to be held as soon as possible, preferably that morning. It would take a while for all of his main tactical advisors to get here, but it had to be done. Agrias' return put a whole new perspective on defense and invasion plans. Now his daughter was on the line._

_A knight burst into the room suddenly, and started to tell the King the bad news about Princess Trista. But the King already knew, and waved the man out silently. He left tentatively, and Terl sat by the table showing all of their future plans...plans that might have to be compromised, because of this. For a moment, he felt a surge of anger directed at Agrias, but he quashed that immediately. He would wait for the full story, from her own mouth, first. Hopefully Oichi would be able to question her. _

_As it turned out, he was. Shortly after the lithe man had taken Agrias to the medical center of the castle, she had woken up. Obviously it was exhaustion, not her injuries, which had forced her into unconsciousness. Or was it? Oichi was concerned about the gash in her leg, and the wound at her side, too. Her head was also severely bruised, and the medical staff had, at first, feared permanent damage. But that had been ruled out quickly, and they had been able to revive Agrias, albeit temporarily. The brave, stalwart Holy Knight recounted her tale, exactly what had happened, how the Princess and her entourage had traveled to the monastery, but had someone been pinpointed by the Goltana forces. Eldair had captured Trista...and defeated Agrias. As she spoke of that part of the tale, the muscles in her face worked, and her teeth ground together slightly- she looked livid. _The fight is still there,_ Oichi thought to himself, smiling in spite of himself. Then she moved onto how they had taken the Princess away, and she had looked weak and close to tears, suddenly. Oichi took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, and Agrias held it tightly as she told the final part of her tale- how she had dragged her way through the mire, injuries and all, and forced her body to work beyond any sane limit, merely to get back to the castle. Oichi listened, not interrupting often, for she clearly just wanted to get it over with. After she had finished, they were both silent for a minute, and then Agrias spoke weakly, her blonde hair, now matted with dirt, clinging to her forehead._

"_Oichi, will we ever get her back? It's all my fault...I will never forgive my failure."_

"_It wasn't your fault, Agrias. You couldn't have known that the Goltana forces were coming, you had no chance of victory. As for Eldair, who has ever beaten him in the field? Nobody. You did all that you could have been asked of you, as a Hanan Knight, and you performed your duties admirably." Oichi spoke sincerely, compassionately, and Agrias felt slightly more at ease. But the man knew that she would not stop berating herself until she atoned, that was just the way Agrias was. Oichi knew that she was in good hands, and he stood up to go, promising to return at nightfall to let Agrias know what was happening, at her insistence. As he walked out of the room, Agrias closed her eyes slowly, and Oichi thought that, even in defeat and injured, she still looked like she had the energy, and the passion for her duties, to defy the world. Hearing that a council had been called he hurried down the hall, his all white cloth garments flowing out behind him as he did so. Reaching the doors of the chamber, and realizing that he was slightly late, he laid his weapons, twin swords, down by the wooden panels, resting on the soft carpet. Then he pushed open the door..._

_...and discovered that all the advisors, both military and civil, of the Goltana forces, were already seated, and waiting for him. Eldair swept his hair back over his headband, silvery in the sunlight streaking through the glass windows, and looked up at the high table._

"_Ah, Master Eldair, glad that you have joined us. Please, remove your weapon and sit down." The regent's voice, mocking, echoed across the large chamber, and Eldair took off his gigantic, thin sword and laid it down next to his seat, which he then sat down in elegantly, without so much of a word. The council for Goltana's men had just begun, and already the regent was trying to degrade him, obviously preparing for the battle ahead, regarding the Princess. Eldair, as usual, gave away nothing with his expression, except with a tiny reproving frown that was seen by nobody. He cast his eyes around nonchalantly, his eyes locking with Lepidus, the commander of the cavalry, and Skylar, the captain of the magical brigade. They, along with himself, were the three chiefs of the main Goltana military branches, and there was a fierce, but friendly rivalry between the three. Then, Goltana spoke, instantly ending the small, whispered conversations between the ministers. He was a tall man, and he had a commanding presence that was felt by all- you wanted, and felt that you needed, to obey this man. This was one of many traits he shared with his brother, King Terl, and one of the reasons why Goltana had split with the Hanan kingdom, and formed his own force. Prince Goltana believed in the old ways, rather than the new, young, revolutionary ideals that the Hanan pursued, and these opinions had attracted many ministers and warriors from the Hanan, and other kingdoms, and they had willfully followed Goltana, due to his sheer determination to eradicate these modern, weak beliefs of the Hanan. As such, his was a force of great strength, both militarily and civilly. His people lived well, if slightly uneasily, and there were few revolts from the commoners. As he stood now, all eyes turned to him. Jopari, the foreign runologist took a particular interest, having never seen the famed Prince before._

"_Ministers, commanders, representatives of the people, I welcome you into this council. I apologise for calling for you at such short notice, but urgent matters are at hand, and must be discussed. Regent Yale, please stand."_

_As his voice rolled richly across the marble floors, the regent stood, not seeming particularly nervous. His bald pate reflected the light as he stood, and his lined face was confident._

"_Thank you, Your Majesty. Now, as you all know, our plan to abduct Princess Trista was a success, she's in her cell now. But the jewel, which was our true goal, was not with her at the time." The regent shot a venomous glance at Eldair before continuing. "We believe that she knows the whereabouts of this pendant, but she refuses to give the information to us. I propose torture."_

_This statement caused mutters of agreement throughout the court, but not everybody was satisfied with this proposal. Eldair shook his head mutely, and General Skylar did not look particularly pleased. Goltana waved a hand for silence, and went through the standard procedure, stroking his grey beard._

"_Arguments against?" He kept his voice neutral, so that he did not influence any decisions that might be made. The unmistakable blue haired figure of James Skylar stood up slowly. He was one of the few younger men in Goltana's ranks, along with Eldair, and he had a troubled expression on his handsome face as he stood up._

"_Does this not go against our laws? According to military law, torture is not permitted for any non-military citizens. In addition, she is a princess, and surely we would incur the wrath of King Terl if we were to harm her." He looked over at the regent, his face neutral, and the regent looked at him, surprised. Skylar was a quiet individual, and usually kept his peace in the councils, regardless of what he thought. The regent gathered himself, and made his case._

"_This is so; you are correct, General Skylar. However, this pendant is more important than any advantage we have ever pursued, and the laws can surely be broken in times of national importance. Master Jopari, would you care to explain?" Jopari stood up, looking remarkably in control, considering the situation. He was most worried about Skylar, as he did not know the man's character, and was aware that the mage could destroy him with ease- Skylar's magical power was renowned, especially in the runologist circles. He was regarded as the most powerful magical being in the world, and though Jopari was honored, he also had to back the regent._

"_Alrighty. This pendant that the princess was wearing is one of the national jewels of Aquarius. Aquarius was a divine being that lived many eons ago, and he created these stones, these gems, and infused them with immense magical power. One resides in the southern lands, in the kingdom that I serve, and it is used to keep a constant flow of water running in the cities. We never run out, never have, and as a result, we have accomplished things that were deemed impossible by others." His voice had an almost hypnotic southern accent, and everybody in the chamber, Goltana included, was focusing on him with rapt attention. He carried on, clearly enjoying discussing a subject he was familiar with._

"_There are only three of these gems. One was lost many years ago, not far north of your lands. One is in the south, as I mentioned. The other belongs to the Hanan, and is worn by Princess Trista. She cannot use the jewel, but the person necessary to activate the powers of the pendant hasn't been discovered yet. But this gem has immense power, even without the chosen person. It can power weapons, enhance magical power, anything that you want it to. To summarise, it is hugely important, and would be a great asset in the war." As he sat down, the chamber applauded briefly, and Eldair's heart sank slightly. He knew what this meant._

"_Thank you, Master Jopari. In that case, it seems that we have no choice but-"_

"_Wait."_

_Goltana's voice was cut off by Eldair, who had spoken out at last, unable to stay silent. The ministers muttered, as Eldair normally kept quiet in council too, and was very well respected. And here he was, speaking out against Prince Goltana! The man had some nerve, that was for sure. Goltana said nothing, merely gestured for Eldair to continue._

"_I understand that certain laws may have to be broken, but...this woman is a princess." Eldair paused, searching for the right words. The regent rolled his eyes, having heard this before. Eldair stood tall, looking almost invincible as he spoke again, with conviction._

"_To harm royalty in any way, let alone torture, is very wrong, and against the morals of our ancestors. Surely you can reconsider, and merely question the girl? It would be more in agreement with the old ways." Eldair's silver hair rippled as he spoke, and his black outfit moved as he stood. Goltana looked troubled as he stood up to speak, and so did the regent. He'd made a good case._

"_This is true, Victor. However, as loath as I am to commit myself, we must proceed. If we must ignore the ways of old to destroy the ways of the new, then...so be it." Goltana looked at Eldair, who was momentarily looking shell-shocked, and then at the regent, who was smiling._

"_Regent Yale, I give you my permission. Do all that you can to extract the information from the girl, but don't kill her, under any circumstances. Now, onto the next issue. Agricultural minister, you had a report that you wished to deliver?" The regent sat down, satisfied, and Eldair and Skylar followed suit, the former feeling very put out. He had been unable to sway the decision. He bowed his head, and the rest of the council passed him by, unnoticed. Goltana was also troubled, though he realised that country came before relation. He had just sentenced his own niece, his brother's daughter, to torture, excruciating agony. _Now I have to win, or Terl will kill me, _he thought to himself, not without sadness. Eventually, after many things had been discussed, including plans for a full scale invasion as soon as possible. Their forces were ready._

_Just after midday, Agrias Retana had delivered her report to the council in the Hanan castle. Though still slightly weak, she had recovered much of her strength, thanks to the unceasing medical mages in the bay where she had stayed for the last few hours. The council had listened carefully, with a few exclamations at her tale. It had been easier to tell it this time, though she still burned with shame at the thought of her loss to Eldair, and her failure to protect the princess. The assumption was made that somebody had let the information about the monastery leak to the enemy, and suspicious eyes were cast around, to no avail. The Holy Knight ignored this, as she believed it to be her fault, and this was hidden beneath her calm exterior. But some saw it. Oichi Femet, leader of the Hanan Knighthood, could see it rippling below the surface, as could the young, but exceptionally talented Jake Terl, son of the King, and incredibly adept at magic. But otherwise, it passed unnoticed. _

_Eventually, it was decided that since the princess, and the pendant had been lost, the Hanan forces had no choice but to attack at once. After a painstakingly detailed military council, they had decided to divide their forces into three parts, to deal with the three brigades of the Goltana forces. King Terl would command the bulk force in the center (containing primarily cavalry), attacking Goltana's capital. Oichi would control the knights, and would head to the northeast, in order to sweep down from the north of the capital. Jake Terl would take his mages and march through the treacherous paths to the south- though they were dangerous, great advantage could be gained by holding them. At last, after hours of planning, they decided to leave tomorrow, at first light. The main captains hurried off to prepare their forces, to brief them for what was to come, and to ready the arms. The civil ministers concentrated on soothing the people, and looking after the cities after all of the governors had gone to battle. Agrias wanted to go, but King Terl adamantly refused, on the grounds that they couldn't risk her health any further. Though she protested, she was sent away to the medical bay to recover properly. It was there that she lay for a time, until Oichi came back, having ordered his men to begin preparations. She sat up quickly as he came into the room._

"_Oichi! They won't let me go with them to the start of the invasion! Can't you do something?" There was an edge to her voice that contained desperation, frustration, and shame. She had to go, she had to redeem herself. Oichi, calm as ever, sat in the cushioned seat next to her and sighed._

"_There's nothing I can do, Agrias. The King is right; you need your strength back before you leave here again. Besides, you can still join us shortly after the beginning of the attack." He spoke with the voice of reason, but Agrias would not be consoled. She fumed silently, whilst Oichi just watched her, studying her face. Clearly, she wanted to go somewhere, not merely with the invasion force. He supposed..._

_Then the mages came back in, and requested that Oichi leave, as they needed to prepare treatment for the wound in Agrias' side again. He nodded amiably, and then patted Agrias on the shoulder before leaving. She called out to him as he left, putting aside her feelings._

"_Good luck Oichi, and please be careful. Make the Goltana scum pay for what they've done."_

_Oichi grinned back at her, and winked quickly. A faint glimmer of a smile crossed Agrias' face, and then he was gone._

_Hours later, after she had awoken from the drugs given to her to dull the pain, she looked on the chair next to her, and saw a piece of paper, with neat, flowing handwriting on it._

"Agrias.

Though the King has forbidden you from joining our force, I got the feeling that wasn't the true reason why you wanted to go. I didn't enquire, but knowing you, I'm sure your intentions are good, and so I'm going to enclose this slip of paper. It should get you past the guards at the gate of the castle. But, by leaving, you have promised me that you will be careful, and not endanger your life while you are gone. Good luck.

Oichi."

_Agrias could have kissed him. Now she could get away! She felt a warm surge of gratitude for the swordsman, whom she had only known since she became a Holy Knight several months ago. Quietly, she got up, and took inventory. Her leg was fully healed, and the bruises on her body and head had faded, but the wound in her side was still very tender, and could rip open easily. She would have to be careful. With a gleam in her eyes, Agrias headed out of the medical bay, hastily gathering her armor and rune sword before she left. She might be needing them._

_Shortly, she gained passage past the guards at the gate, who had cast looks of suspicion at her, but had said nothing. Once again she thanked Oichi for his note, wherever he was, and then left via the stables. Kicking her steed fiercely, she steered him out towards the rolling plains, her golden hair and pure white cloak flowing out behind her as she flew over the grass. The monastery was several hours away, but she would go there nonetheless. She had to. The sun was slowly dipping out of the sky, and it would be nightfall by the time she arrived. The Holy Knight shivered slightly, involuntarily, but then steeled herself mentally. Then she rode through the plains, the quickest route to the monastery, as if the hounds of hell were baying at her heels._

_And as Agrias dashed through the fields at breakneck pace, a young knight was also out in the fields, albeit further away. Lessan Calendar was crouched down amongst the long grasses outside Taliban, looking up at the huge airship before him. Despite his aim, he couldn't help marveling at the quality of the vast machine, how well constructed it was, and how the magic kept all of that metal afloat, just hovering silently in the air. But then he focused on what he had to do. After rising at daybreak, he had questioned the villagers further, and had then planned what he was going to do. It was risky, but he had no other option. Trying to enter the airship in the conventional way was suicide, as they would surely cut him down on sight. Thanks to his almost encyclopedic knowledge of airships, Lessan knew that there would be a service entrance into the machine, with a ladder. It was risky, as he didn't know what he would find in the bowels of the airship, or where Teresa was in there, but he had no choice. Better than being killed at the front. Still, he gritted his teeth in frustration, but he couldn't change anything, he just had to forge forward. And he did._

_Though there were many guards to the front and sides of the airship, the back was only guarded by one man, as it faced only open fields, and anybody who approached could be seen a long way off. But this particular guard was slacking off, he just wanted to go home again, and not be guarding this infernal flying machine day-in, day-out. He lazily kicked at the grass with his boots, his face placid, lacking in any kind of intelligence. He never saw the young man jogging up to where he stood, and didn't even react when he heard the footsteps. He just assumed it would be his superior, telling him to keep watch. _

_He assumed incorrectly._

_Lessan looked around sharply, his face tense and expecting the alarm to be raised. But nothing happened. The man at his feet uttered a soft groan, and was still, blood trickling down his temple. Lessan looked up, and saw that the ladder was up above him, but how would he get it down? Feeling mildly idiotic, he walked over to the console that was at the base of the airship. He looked at the screen, and it reflected his troubled face back at him. He brushed his blonde hair away from his forehead, and then started typing in random combinations, for the password that it required. It was hopeless. The Hanan knight almost screamed in exasperation. To have come so far, and not have foreseen this! He clenched his fists, and hit the computer screen in anger. _

_The ladder started to descend._

_Lessan gazed up at it's journey, with jaw-dropping incredulity. Surely that hadn't actually worked? And yet, that's how it seemed. Shaking his head at his own luck, he quickly clambered up the wire ladder, vaulting into the underbelly of the craft. The ladder came back up, and the hatch slammed shut behind him, and the sound rebounded off the closed in walls. He was on his own, a knight on his first assignment, alone, afraid, and expecting the worst. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then pressed forward. _

_After climbing through a small shaft, he peered over the lip of it, blue eyes scouring the vast room he found himself in. There was a curious noise overhead, which he couldn't identify, a soft humming sound, that he associated with floating. Perhaps it was what kept the airship in the air, magic. But he hauled himself over the edge of the shaft, scraping his chest as he did so. It was then he realised, for the first time, that his chest plate was missing. Lessan scolded himself for not noticing before, and thinking back, he realised that it had been missing for some time. Now he'd be even more vulnerable, if that was possible. His heart was beating like a rabbit's, and he took several deep breaths to try and settle his nerves, stop the shake in his hands. His sword was ready at his side, and he pressed on forwards._

_He went through several rooms, once seeing the shadow of a guard in a far corner, but he moved stealthily and swiftly, avoiding detection. It reminded him of the games that he and his brothers had played so many years ago, and he tried to put himself into that mindset, concentrating hard. Eventually, he made it to the stairs leading to another floor, and tiptoed up, feeling horribly exposed, with nothing to hide behind. But nobody was there, and he was puzzled. He assumed they must all be outside guarding, or in the village itself. But it worried him in a primal way, and he slipped secretively forward into the dingy metal room._

_The first thing he spotted was Teresa's rapier, and her bangle that she used to cast her magic spells. His heart quickened a beat, and he gathered them up quickly, thinking that Teresa might well need them, if they were unable to get away unseen. The long, thin blade caught what little light had entered the inside of the airship, and the bangle seemed to have colors shifting below it's surface, overlapping each other, but murky and distant from his eyes. Lessan stared at it for a minute, mesmerized by the intricate patterns, the ebbs and flows of the shadows beneath the metal surface of the bangle, situation forgotten. Then he reluctantly dragged his eyes away from the unusual sight, and his head snapped around quickly. His blue eyes narrowed in concentration as he looked around, fearfully. Lessan had the feeling that he was being watched, but couldn't see anything. Then he remembered the same feeling back at the outskirts of the village the previous day, where he had left his chest plate...or at least, he thought he had. But, seeing nothing, he had no choice but to keep heading up into the stairwell, trying to keep the thought off his mind. _

_And yet, he couldn't do it. The young man kept glancing over his shoulder, one hand on his blade, eyes looking wildly around. His blonde hair was sticking up due to his hand running through it in nervousness, and he wasn't calming down. The feeling of being, somehow, stalked, preyed on his mind even more, and he just couldn't repress it. He lost his self-control slightly, and started walking faster up the stairs, not looking back. The grey, dulled walls seemed oppressive around him, closing in. There was a loud clanging noise from below him, and he jumped, and started running lightly up the stairs, even though it was probably just a piece of machinery. But that jog turned into a run, and then a faster run, and then a flat-out sprint up to the top of the stairs, and were those footsteps he could hear following him? Sounds echoed confusingly around the confined space, and Lessan got disorientated, stumbling blindly forward to the small door at the top of the stairs, light shining through the tiny window onto his pale, frightened face, his distinctive features twisted with terror._

_Slamming his body against the door frantically, with sounds still echoing all around him, he scrambled for the handle desperately, finally unlocking the catch and stumbling across the threshold, breathing in great gulps of air. He'd lost any pretence of self control in there, and he kicked the door shut viciously, still momentarily in shock from the claustrophobia that had overtaken him. But, it was then that he was aware of another presence in the room- four, in fact. He scrambled to his feet and spun around, still feeling very much confused and on edge. Lessan discovered that there were three men in the room, which was spacious and well-lit, with wooden planked floors, and they were all looking at him. Two of them held longswords in their hands, pointed at him, and the other merely stood, dressed in a smart suit, with a businesslike air about him. Then Lessan saw Teresa. She was sitting off to the side, tied up, with her hands and feet bound by tight, nylon rope, and looking at him soundlessly, for she was gagged. Lessan was shocked at the state that his Hanan comrade was in- she looked terrible, with bruises on her face and arms, and small cuts in numerous areas, and her eyes were filled with unimaginable fear. The young man shifted his glance towards the two soldiers, who were looking at him guardedly, and the other, taller man, who was clearly in charge._

"_What have you done to her? What is this place?" Lessan tried to keep his voice firm, but his heart had only just begun to slow from the panic attack he had endured in the underbelly of the airship, and the man in the business suit merely laughed quietly. The Hanan knight reached for his blade, but the soldiers reacted quickly, obviously well trained. One of them raised his blade threateningly, and the other effortlessly drew out a longbow, drawing an arrow to the quiver and training it on Lessan's face. He cursed under his breath, and was glaring at them when the tall man spoke._

"_We have done nothing to Miss Bellow, young Master Salandra. Nothing that she did not invite on herself, with her struggles. And, this is our airship, as you no doubt know already, from your escapades through the storage rooms. They can be quite frightening, can they not?" His voice had a clipped, upper-class quality, and he smirked whilst the soldiers laughed roughly. Lessan flushed darkly, and black fear entered his eyes as he thought of the mazelike airship rooms. But he pulled himself together, and shot another question at the man, stalling for time to think, more than anything._

"_Why did you capture her? And who are you, anyway?"_

_The man flicked an invisible speck of dust from his immaculate suit, and fingered his toothbrush moustache as he replied._

"_Young Teresa here was troubling one of our...resources. He is very efficient, and we ordered him to disable her, in order to prevent your investigation. As for your second question, I am a representative of the Church." He indicated to a small imprint on the inside of his wrist- the symbol of the Holy Church. It was plain as day, but the Hanan knight still reeled in shock. Why were the Church involved in the killing of innocents? His forehead creased with puzzlement and worry, and before he could ask anything else, he was cut off._

"_Do you believe in the teachings of the Church, Lessan?" His was calm and sincere, and Lessan bristled at the familiarity with which he used his first name._

"_No, I don't. Divine intervention doesn't exist, as far as I'm concerned. Only weak people need the support of something from above, if you ask me. Why force yourself to live a life of servitude for something that you don't believe in?" Lessan's reluctance to follow religion in his childhood shone through, and the man's face darkened for the first time._

"_Very well, heretic Lessan. We do as we must. And now, please leave, or we may be forced into some more...drastic measures." The composure was back, as if it had never gone, and he smiled, shark-like, as the soldiers moved forward very slightly. Lessan made no motion to leave at all, only stood, alone, but determined._

"_I can't leave without my friend."_

_Even as he said it, he puzzled. Friend? He supposed she was, now. But the man was now frowning again, beginning to look slightly annoyed._

"_As I have told you, she interfered, and she must pay the price. Now, i-"_

"_And as I have told you, I'm not leaving without her." Lessan interrupted him rudely, and then the taller man gave up all pretense and snarled at him._

"_Fine, then. You were warned, and now you'll pay, heretic. Nobody interrupts with the operations of the Church." The soldiers moved forward, and the man himself started chanting to himself- calling upon the power of magic! Lessan backed away, drawing his blade but realizing that the situation was hopelessly against him. The soldiers' weapons glinted menacingly, and suddenly, the young man imagined exactly how the metal would feel, sinking into his flesh. He backed further away, as the soldiers were forcing him into the corner of the room. He cursed his lack of chest armor, and was ready to fight to the end, when the door behind him suddenly opened._

_Though it wasn't flung open with force, or opened with any noise, the door swung open, and there stood a figure in white robes, with a white hood cast over his head, hiding it in shadow. A red cloak was at his back, dropping almost to the floor behind him. He was tall and slim, but he looked formidable, and Lessan despaired. But then he saw that the soldiers cornering him were as surprised as he, and so he lunged forwards to seize advantage of their distraction. The first one could make no good defence, and Lessan thrusted his sword through the man's chest, grimacing as the blood spurted out. As the man sank to his knees, Lessan saw that he was only young, and seemed almost at peace as he fell to the ground. The Hanan knight pulled his blade out in disgust, and whirled around as the other soldier came towards him. But he had reckoned without the newcomer to the floor, who moved forward with liquid grace, and spun, holding in his hand the largest lance that Lessan had ever seen. At the critical moment, the man in white turned his blade aside and hit the man in the back of the head with the flat. The remaining soldier didn't see it coming, and fell to the ground as if poleaxed._

_Staring in wonder, Lessan watched as the white-robed figure then leapt to the side, and soon he saw why. The man in the business suit, representative of the Church, had finished conjuring his spell, and now unleashed it on them. Having produced a staff from behind him, the end of it glowed white hot, and then expelled a large ball of energy towards the two men. Lessan hadn't had much experience with magic, but he noticed this was not particularly powerful, in spite of it's appearance. But Teresa was straining against her bindings, and looking desperately at him, nodding her head towards the door. But he wouldn't leave, and moved to the side. But the energy ball hit the wall and created a massive shockwave that blew out the windows, rattling Lessan and causing a ringing in his ears that was so high and piercing, he cried out loud in pain. He'd been wrong about the intensity of the spell, that was for sure. But even as he raised himself to his feet again, feeling thin blood seeping between his fingers from his ears, he saw the man in white jumping towards the Church member, who could not believe that he had been unaffected by the spell. He backed away and threw his staff up as a shield, but the hooded warrior merely swept his lance towards the feet of the despicable man, who was tripped immediately. Then, the warrior pinned him down with his huge lance, and turned to Lessan._

"_Go. Take the girl and go, now. Before more of them get here." His voice was deep, cultured, and calm. Lessan didn't need telling twice, and quickly untied Teresa, helping her walk, as her legs were cramped badly. Even as they reached the door, more men crammed into the opposite door, but the man held them back whilst Lessan and Teresa made their escape into the bowels of the airship. _

_They stumbled down the stairs, awkwardly and uncomfortably, each of them aware the dangers of slowness. They realised that the hooded man could not hold them off forever, so they had to move fast. But who was he? Why had he saved them? These questions whirled around Lessan's mind in particular, and they finally reached the service ladder. After what seemed like an age, they finally made it to the bottom, and started running towards the nearby forest, where Lessan had left his camp._

_At last, they reached the tree line, and Teresa flopped down onto the floor, her legs aching terribly. Lessan stood, and looked back at the airship, as if in afterthought. More and more soldiers poured into the great flying machine, still hovering inexplicably above everything, and the townsfolk were beginning to gather nearby, tiny dots on the horizon to Lessan's sharp eyes. Through the windows near the top of the airship, Lessan could faintly see the glinting of light on metal, and the shouts of the soldiers who were still flowing into the airship. Lessan stood, mesmerized...until the explosion._

_It happened quite suddenly, without warning. The bottom of the airship began to whirr, a screeching noise that made the townsfolk cry out and Lessan wince with pain- his ears were still in agony from the spell that had indirectly hit him earlier. Then, the entire structure simply blew apart, a raging inferno, flames shooting outwards in all directions. The villagers of Taliban all screamed in terror, and many collapsed from the rolling heat that swept towards them, the intensity of the flames in the sky causing utter havoc. Lessan's eyes widened in shock, and for a moment he stood, watching the pieces of metal hurtle towards the ground, flames dissipating into the air. There were no soldiers to be seen now, merely the villagers, who were scrambling desperately to escape the falling debris. Lessan turned away, feeling slightly ill- many of the Church's soldiers had just died, so many lives lost, in an instant. The hooded man was also nowhere to be seen, and Lessan assumed the worst- surely nobody could've escaped the clutches of that explosion. The young knight looked back at Teresa, who was staring at the chaos on the ground, her eyes as large as the moon itself. _

"_Teresa…we should go." He spoke to her softly, and she looked back at him uncomprehendingly. He repeated himself, and was met with the same reaction, and he sighed slightly. Lessan went over to his comrade, and helped her to her feet, gingerly. And together, they walked away from the scene of destruction behind them, both of them still feeling the heat on their necks._

_Many hours later, the pair of Hanan knights finally came to shelter. Lessan had made the decision to find anywhere that could shelter them for the night, and so he and Teresa had struggled onwards, as the sun began to descend above them, with Teresa's face a mask of pain. But now, they were here. But where was here? Lessan glanced up at the large building, and he realised that it was a monastery, from the markings on the wooden door. He rolled his eyes, his sardonic self for a moment, and then helped Teresa inside, the large door slamming violently shut behind them._

_Having settled Teresa down on a bench near the entrance, Lessan glanced cautiously around the room, his senses on high alert. Only his eyes moved as he swept the room carefully, taking in everything. The candles cast flickering shadows all over the walls and floor, causing him to constantly glance around, his hand clenching his sword tightly as he did. Eventually, he was satisfied, and sat heavily down in front of Teresa, who was still rubbing her ankle, gritting her teeth silently. Lessan looked at her for a moment, and then spoke to her quietly._

"_Teresa, what happened? You have to tell me everything...something odd is going on, and I'm...I'm confused. And scared." He flushed slightly, but it remained unnoticed by Teresa, who looked up and nodded._

"_I got captured, Lessan. I was finding out what the airship was, and what it was doing, when I got drugged, I think. The village leader, he- aaahhh!" She cried out silently, her voice but a whisper, and Lessan looked at her sharply, concern etched into his face._

"_What's wrong? Teresa?" He studied her face, and then she replied, her head bowed._

"_I-it's okay,I just need to rest my leg. Can we stay here for a while?" She looked up at him pleadingly, and Lessan closed his eyes for a moment in frustration._

"_You want to stay here? We don't even know where "here" is! There could be anything out there, and you're in no condition to g-"_

"_It was your idea to find shelter, Lessan. Besides, what are we supposed to do? Go outside?" Teresa spoke quietly, and Lessan knew that she was right. They had no option, it was that simple. He shook his head irritably, and glared at her._

"_Fine, we'll stay. Just...rest your leg, and I'll keep an eye out for you." Even as he said it he was sighing, and he looked tired beyond belief. But they had no choice, and before Teresa could say anything in reply, he had already turned away and was walking to the back of the monastery, towards the altar. She shook her head, and then tilted it back against the wall, slowly, closing her eyes. She was exhausted, and thoughts wracked her mind as her eyes drooped lower and lower, and she finally fell fast asleep, as the night deepened around them._


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4- Eternal Deprecation**_

"_Please, no more! AAAAHHHH!" _

_The screams of utter agony rebounded off the stone walls, echoing through the dimly lit corridors, curdling the blood of anybody who had the bad luck to be within earshot. The soldiers of Goltana turned their heads towards the location of the shrieks- the torture chamber, where the Princess Trista was currently residing. _

"_N-no! D-d-d-d- aaaahhh..." Mercifully, the screams tapered off, and the guard posted just outside the room could hear the men who had been torturing the Princess speaking quietly._

"_She's gone again. Weakling."_

"_Don't matter. We got what we needed, let's go report to that bastard Goltana."_

"_Don't say that, what if some guard hears you?" The men spoke with rough, uncouth voices, and the guard outside the room jumped slightly after that last sentence. The door swung open, smashing viciously into the wall behind it, and the two burly men stalked out, menacing expressions on their faces. The guard stared at the blood on their hands, and couldn't suppress a slight shudder. The torturers smirked at him in unison, and then brushed rudely past him down the corridor, trailing mud on the stone floors as they headed for Goltana's personal chambers. The guard sighed with relief, but he quickly breathed in sharply once more, as the tall figure of Eldair appeared behind him, as if from nowhere. He spoke from the shadows, and the guard whirled around, raising his weapon, before realizing who it was, and saluting hurriedly._

"_Thank you. If you would, I would like a moment with the Princess. Leave us."_

_The guard didn't need telling twice, and nodded quickly, scurrying away down the corridor, anxious to get away from the imposing man. Eldair watched him impassively, and then turned back to the torture chamber door, which lay wide open. He stepped over the threshold, and shut the door quietly behind him._

_What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks, stock still, his eyes betraying his shock. In front of him, the Princess Trista lay, sitting upright on a cold, hard bed, her eyes closed and her head drooping onto her chest. Eldair then realised, abruptly, that her red dress that she'd been wearing earlier had been cast off, and that she was now naked on the mattress. Immediately, Victor spun around, wishing the Princess to keep what decency she had left, even if she was unconscious. As he stood there, waiting for the Princess to wake up, his mind mulled things over slowly- had they actually gotten some information from her? And, why had they hurt her so badly? Her body was covered with cuts and bruises, and Eldair was genuinely shocked. Though a relatively young man, he had seen and participated in countless battles, and had achieved victory in every one- and yet, he had never seen royalty harmed, except in the course of battle. And never like this. Not like this._

_After many minutes, the figure on the bed stirred, and blearily gazed around the room. Seeing the tall figure near the door, facing away, she panicked and scrambled backwards, her hands unconsciously moving to conceal her womanhood. Her hair hung damply down her back, and her eyes were wild with terror- Trista was completely unrecognizable as the Princess that she had been some hours ago. Now, she was merely a prisoner, trapped and caged, in agony from her injuries. _

"_Princess Trista." _

_Eldair spoke, and something in Tristan's mind stirred. She recognized his voice, and knew that he meant no harm, but she needed a few moments to gather her tortured mind. Eldair realised this, and so continued to face forwards, away from the Princess, in silence. Minutes passed, with the rapid breathing of the Princess the only sound in the room. Eldair was completely silent. Eventually, the breathing of the Princess slowed down to a semi-normal rate, and she spoke in a quavering voice to Eldair._

"_Eldair..."_

"_Yes?"_

"_Why are you here?" Tristan's voice was high, afraid, and full of tension, whereas Eldair kept his voice flat. His head dropped slightly, and then he spoke again, in a lower voice._

"_I came to see how you were, that's all. Are you too badly hurt?"_

_Trista didn't reply, and Eldair almost turned to see if she was still awake. But, conscious of Tristan's modesty, he stopped. Trista replied quietly, her voice shaking badly._

"_I...I-I'm...just look."_

"_I cannot. You need some clothes." Eldair spoke quietly, and to his amazement, the Princess laughed weakly, coughing up some black blood as she did so._

"_I don't think it matters anymore, Eldair. You have to see for yourself." She spoke with both bitterness and sadness intermingling in her gentle voice, and Eldair turned around slowly, his expression as neutral as ever. But it didn't stay that way for long, as he saw the condition of the Princess for the first time._

_As her blue eyes stared at him, tears pouring from them, his grey eyes stared back in horror, though his face did not betray anything. Her face had been almost completely obscured by blood and dirt, though still just recognizable as who she was, and her lips were badly cut. There was a large cut down the side of her face, and blood trickled slowly from her mouth where she had coughed it up. Her hair hung down across her shoulders, matted with blood, and her entire body was covered in either cuts or bruises. The Princess herself seemed on the verge on collapse again, and she spat out more blood listlessly, as she spoke again in a dulled voice._

"_I told them where the pendant was. It must be in that monastery, where you captured me. I had it there." She looked up suddenly, unashamed, and Eldair's cold eyes held her own. The, abruptly, she slumped sideways, unable to hold up her own weight any longer. Eldair started, and then made his way over to her quickly, crouching down to her eye level. The Princess smiled weakly at him, her eyes seeming to stare through him at an unknown, faraway object. Then she spoke, her hands clenching with the effort, though her voice was still hardly a whisper._

"_They...you know where it is, now. But you don't know the power...the power of the stone. It will decide the outcome of the war...I don't care who wins anymore, it's all pointless." Eldair remained silent, his eyes riveted to hers. She smiled slightly and grasped his hand in both of hers, even as more blood leaked profusely from her mouth. Eldair jerked back slightly, in surprise, but Trista spoke again, and he had to lean closer to hear her._

"_I'm...I'm dying. But don't let my death be in vain...end the war, Victor. You're the great Victor Eldair- if anybody can end the pain, the suffering, it's you. Now...now g-go, and...you've been a friend to me, Victor. I-I...I...uhh..."_

_And with that, Tristan's eyes rolled up in her head, and her still-beautiful face fell fitfully down onto the harsh, unforgiving mattress. Her hands slipped out of Eldair's, as his eyes widened in shock, and her chest gave one final, shuddering rise, before falling for the final time. Princess Trista lay still, and Victor Eldair bowed his head in respect to the departed woman. The guard who had earlier been told to leave arrived back after some minutes, but Eldair did not notice. The guard winced slightly at the scene, and backed away from the room again, hurrying back down the corridor, returning to his quarters, where he promptly vomited up the food that he had enjoyed shortly beforehand._

_Eventually, Eldair stood up slowly, looked down at the awkwardly positioned Princess. He picked her up, getting blood over his hands in the process, but no longer particularly caring. He then settled her down gently, as if she weighed nothing at all, and lay her flat on the mattress, crossing her arms across her chest. He then closed her eyes with a quick sweep of his hand, and studied her for a moment. He quickly removed a piece of cloth that was attached to the sheath of his blade, and placed it over her womanhood, to protect her modesty until she could be properly covered and buried. But as he did so, he couldn't help noticing that blood was seeping slowly out of her vaginal area, and pooling on the mattress below. Eldair's temper, which he had purposefully buried during the Princess's final moments, finally rose to the surface. These torturers had not only killed the Princess, but had raped her in the process. He ground his teeth together involuntarily, and his grey eyes burned as he turned furiously towards the door, walking quickly away from the room. He headed up the corridor, moving swiftly towards the chambers of Prince Goltana, unsheathing his blade as he did so._

_The black of the night seemed to envelop Goltana's city, sinking into the bones of all those in it. The Prince himself had ordered the immediate mobilization of the military, shortly after he had discovered that Trista had been killed. He now knew that Terl was certain to attack, and so he resolved to make the first move. Every division of the Goltana force was mustered, and began preparations for an immediate withdrawal from the city, crossing the plains to Teri's capital city, Resla. As all of this began, Goltana summoned one of his better captains, Kate Cross. As with many of Goltana's officers, she was skilled at warfare, but particularly specialized in infiltration and secrecy, with small, elite units. Unfortunately, she was also quite arrogant- somewhat surprisingly, given her profession in the military- and this did not win her many favors in the army, nor did it stand particularly well with Goltana himself. However, she was the best at what she did, and the situation required it, so the woman was summoned, and she arrived shortly afterwards, albeit with bad grace._

"_So, what do you want me for?" Her voice was sleepy-sounding and slightly bitter, as she shook her auburn hair irritably away from her eyes. Goltana decided to cut to the chase._

"_I need you to take your team to the Monastery; it's not far from here, only a few hours on horseback. There's a certain jewel there, a vibrant, sapphire pendant. I want you to bring it to me, it is of the utmost importance." Goltana winced as he thought of how he had acquired that information, and Kate raised an eyebrow at it. But she looked away when Goltana stared hard at her, and replied diminutively._

"_Sure. I'll leave now." With that she nodded to Goltana, and glared at the lecherous torturers, who were still present, and leering rudely at her. She strode over to the door, but never got the chance to open it._

_As the faint rumblings of a gathering storm flutteringly passed to their ears, the people in the chamber witnessed the door hurtling open with frightening force, flying into the wall behind it with a bone-cracking crash. Goltana stood up slowly behind his desk, as Victor Eldair's foot descended slowly to the carpeted floor again. Then, without a word, he darted forward into the room, and dashed with astonishing speed at one of the torturers, who were both staring at him, mouths hanging open. The man never had a chance. Eldair's blade swept towards his neck, and the torturer was no more. His expression remained the same, even as his head fell from his body, thudding onto the carpet dully. The other despicable man reacted instantly, stumbling away from his fallen comrade, blood all over his face, which held a horrified expression. He fled to the other side of the room, as Goltana and Kate both watched Eldair go after him with a vengeance, and catch up to him quickly. _

"_No, please! D-uuhhh!" The tormenter of Princess Trista begged, but it was no use, and Eldair rammed his blade through the man's stomach, causing him to gurgle pitifully. Eldair's face was a mask of cold, controlled anger, and the man was as scared of that as he was of his own death, perhaps even more so. Eldair kept the blade where it was until the man began to lose consciousness, then jerked it upwards into his upper body, causing him to shriek in agony, and making Kate take a step backwards, her eyes staring blandly at the pain now inscribed into the man's face. Goltana remained silent and motionless. Eldair remained silent, merely prolonging the man's suffering expertly, until he finally ceased to live and fell forward bodily onto the floor, in a veritable ocean of his own life-blood. Nobody moved for a moment, and the silence was almost intolerable. Then Kate Cross straightened slightly, her cheeks tinged with red, and left the room without delay, to take her team over to the monastery. Goltana looked after her, then glanced sideways to the smashed door, and back to Eldair, who was calmly wiping his long, thin blade free of blood. _

"_Victor, what the hell are you doing?" He spoke calmly, but with a slight edge to his voice. Eldair met his stare and replied with just as much composure._

"_They acted disgracefully, as they were torturing the Princess, which I sti-" _

"_I do not care about your ridiculous traditions, Eldair! You need to get your priorities straight, we are about to go to war with Terl, and I will not suffer your ridiculous personal qualms over this anymore! Now prepare your Dark Knights AT ONCE, we move just after dawn, westwards, to Teri's capital, Resla. Go, now! Get out of my sight!"_

"_Prince Goltana, you do not unde-"_

"_OUT!"_

_Goltana cut Eldair off brutally, scathingly, and Eldair looked astonished at the berating he received. After the older man had finished screaming at the top of his lungs, Eldair stared coolly at him, and then left the room without a word, his resentment burning a hole inside him, acidic in it's nature._

_As events unfolded to the east, in Goltana's capital, everything began to happen. Kate Cross and her elite band of soldiers began their short journey to the Monastery nearby, the very building where the late Princess Trista had been unexpectedly abducted, whilst in the company of Agrias Retana. The Goltana forces were almost ready to march west, and surprise the Terl forces- but little did they know that a spy for the Terl forces was making his way swiftly back to the capital, urging his steed on as quickly as humanly possible, with the news that would begin the conflict. Several hours passed, and he grew tired, but the sprightly man forged onward, and eventually reached the capital, where he was recognized by the guards at the gate, and ushered hurriedly inside, where a council was taking place, despite it being close to daylight. _

_As the spy stepped inside, he was greeted by the sound of Jake Teri's voice yelling across the council table at Oichi Femet, who had just informed him of Agrias' departure. He cut himself off however, as all eyes turned to the man who had just entered, and the man reddened slightly, with all of these prestigious eyes, some expectant, some inquiring, waiting for his report. King Terl stood, as Jake Terl, his son, sat back down, glaring at Oichi, who was looking at the man at the door. The King spoke softly, realizing that it must be difficult for the young spy._

"_Welcome back Sam, I trust that your journey back was uneventful. Please, give your report, we must have the details regarding Goltana's military plans." _

_Sam, the spy, visibly swallowed and began to perspire as his mind worked feverishly. He knew of Tristan's death, and that Goltana was planning to invade, and yet did not wish to earn King Teri's ire. He was a diminutive sort, whereas Terl was a large man of presence and respect, and he realised that the bearer of bad news always ran the risk of preaching his own death, in these matters. And so when he delivered the anxiously awaited report, he was fully aware of the possible consequences, hence his quavering voice._

"_Prince Goltana-"_

"_He is not a Prince anymore. Carry on." Terl interrupted irritably, and Sam felt sweat trickle down his back. This could go badly._

"_...Goltana has begun preparing his forces, and will begin mobilization shortly, before dawn. He has a large force, with infantry, cavalry, archers, and mages. He-"_

"_Who are the generals in charge?" Zeke Lions, another general in the Terl force, cut across this time._

"_Victor Eldair is commanding his Dark Knights, and is apparently assuming the central role, in the plains. He has a large, elite force. General Lepidus is taking the cavalry soldiers, and will be advancing through the northern forest, to try and outflank our central force, we will need a unit to stop him. Goltana himself will be backing up Eldair with infantry and archers, and General Skylar will also be participating with his mages, though I do not know where he is going." He paused and breathed in deeply, readying himself to inform them of Princess Tristan's death, but the others immediately began to talk, with King Terl at the head of it. Sam decided to keep quiet for now._

"_Thank you Sam, good work, we now know the enemy's plan. We must combat them, immediately. Are our troops ready to march at any time?" Teri's voice cut across all others, and Oichi responded in the affirmative, and nodded. He carried on._

"_Excellent. Then, we must have a large unit of both infantry and cavalry to hold back Eldair's unit, whilst another unit cuts off Lepidus in the forest to the north. The rest of us will be spread out in the central plain, with another unit traversing the southern mountain paths- we can attack them from the rear by circling around that way." Many of the ministers muttered in agreement, and the generals nodded approvingly at the plan. Almost immediately, General Zeke Lions roared above the babble, his lined face bursting with passion and pride._

"_I shall take the northern route, and crush the ancient Lepidus like the insect that he is! I shall not be defeated by the likes of that man!" His bold speech injected confidence into the room, and many starting talking excitedly amongst themselves, as Zeke got several claps on the back as he sat down, smiling confidently. Though older than most in the force, he was experienced, and knew what to do. Jake Terl was the next to stand, and called out just as confidently as Zeke had._

"_In that case, I'll head for the mountains to the south, and advance to their rear via the paths there- the Goltana forces will not know what's hit them!" He spoke confidently, and the buzz increased, but Oichi interjected quickly afterwards, commanding attention as he stood, his all white outfit standing out._

"_Be careful. It is unlikely that the enemy will have left that path open to anybody, it will probably be guarded. Be aware that there may be a competent unit there, one that is more experienced that yourself, Jake. I'm thinking that General Skylar himself may even be that way." He spoke with the voice of reason, and the talking gradually died down with the mention of Skylar. But Jake Terl turned on Oichi angrily, and responded vehemently._

"_I don't care if it's guarded, I'll destroy anybody who gets in the way of the kingdom's ambitions! If these Goltana scum want a fight, a fight they shall have! I don't care who it is, even if Skylar's there, which he won't be, he will easily be defeated by my elite mage unit!" He spoke arrogantly, and his hand moved to the staff at his hand, which he used for his magic casting. Jake Terl was a very proficient mage indeed, and the blood red stone at the center of the staff reflected in his eyes as he stared at Oichi in an overbearing way. Oichi shrugged his shoulders, and turned away to speak to the minister next to him. Jake Terl shook his head in disgust, and then sat down himself. When a relative lull in the conversation came, King Terl stood up, smiling openly._

"_It is good to see so many of our fine captains ready to fight for the kingdom. However, though north and south are accounted for, the central area must be secured, or our defense will fail." He left the sentence hanging, and was met with silence from all corners. Nobody wanted the unenviable job of keeping Eldair back, and nearly everybody averted their eyes. King Teri's face fell in despair._

"_Is there nobody who will?" His voice housed a small desperation to it, but everybody continued to busy themselves with either the window, or the floor. _

"_I will do it." _

_Except for Oichi Femet, that is. His soft, cultured voice was heard by all, and tens of officers breathed a sigh of relief. King Terl nodded calmly, and thanked Oichi._

"_It is only my duty, my King. I shall leave now, to march to the central plains." With that, he rose, with many of those in the council chamber wishing him the best of luck, but also feeling that they would never see him again. After all, Victor Eldair never lost. It was that simple._

_After Oichi's departure, King Terl spoke again._

"_Right. Zeke and Jake, prepare your units and march immediately, you know what you must do. All other captains, gather the men assigned to you, and support the center- the Goltana forces have other, smaller units, and you must defeat them- the battle is not merely won by the larger units." The officers cheered, and then filed out of the room. Only King Terl knew in his heart that what he had said was not true- this battle would be won by the larger units, and they would have to nullify the more significant threats of the Goltana force before they were overrun. They had the smaller force, after all, and so the Goltana men would have an advantage over them. However, Terl had faith in his captains, and so would take to the battlefield himself. And so, as the last minister left with a bow, Terl raised himself from his throne, and walked from the large room, to get himself armored in preparation for the conflict ahead. Sam, the spy, had vanished..._

_Before the sun had even risen, Oichi Femet left the capital of Resla with his large force of infantry and cavalry, heading east, to the central plains, with the blessings of many with him. The townsfolk were already up, with the commotion the soldiers and horse made, and wished well to all the soldiers, and to the general himself, and the blessing was graciously given back. Shortly after this, Zeke Lions led his experienced cavalry unit to the north, heading for the northern forest, hoping to arrive first, to surprise the white horses of Lepidus. He left with his head held high, proud, and dignified, despite his increasing age. Zeke had performed great things for King Teri's forces in the past, mainly with brigands, and realised that this may be his last chance to truly make his mark in history even more distinguished than it was. Though approaching fifty years of age, he was still a very proficient swordsman, and was fully committed to achieving victory in the battle- he got a raucous send-off, he was very popular amongst all the citizens of Resla, though perhaps not as respected as "Master Femet". Some hours later, having fully prepared his mages for the arduous mountain trudge ahead, Jake Terl exited the city, with the sun now ready to break free. He left silently to the south, and made for the mountains, with his mages fully charged. _

_Dawn had arrived._

_The sun was still hidden partially behind the horizon, beginning it's long and arduous ascent in the sky, when a sleeping Hanan Knight awoke from where he had fallen to rest, against his own wishes. To say that Lessan had been mentally and physically exhausted would be an understatement, after his escapades of the previous day. He awoke with a start, blinking in the light that now invaded his eyes, and glancing around. He was still outside, where he had been keeping watch, and now he cursed his own incompetence as he rubbed his bleary eyes. Running a hand through his sandy hair, he stood up unsteadily, turned back to the monastery, and very quickly discovered that he and Teresa were both in major trouble. He came to this assumption, mainly due to the fact that a large, very sharp blade was being pointed directly at his face, by somebody who looked perfectly willing to kill him where he stood. Though the woman's face was beautiful, it also had a determined expression on it now, and the metal being held only a few inches from his face was quite steady. Lessan tried to take a step back and unsheathe his own blade, but he had been caught off-guard, and the woman easily stepped forward and stopped him with the threat of death at her hands._

"_Forget it. Who are you, and what are you doing here? I've never seen you before at the capital." She spoke quietly, with an edge to her voice, seemingly trying to keep controlled. Lessan realised that she, too, was a Hanan Knight, and a highly ranked one at that, judging by her armor and cape- not anybody to cross, under any circumstances. He stared back at her, fully aware that the wrong answer could cause his own demise. The tension was almost visible between the two of them. Lessan took a breath, and stammered a reply nervously._

"_I'm Lessan Salandra, of the Hanan Knights. I'm here because my friend and I needed shelter for the night- she's i-injured, and...and we're new to the academy, that's why you haven't seen us, uh, yeah, th-"_

"_Fine."_

_That was it. The word that saved him, and Lessan sagged with relief. He had almost forgotten what fear had felt like, following his self-inflated bravery of the previous day. Now, he fully realised it. The woman shook her blonde hair out of her eyes, and stared at him with her azure eyes, taking in his stature. Then she held out a hand briefly, and he shook it._

"_My name is Agrias Retana, Holy Knight of the Terl forces, Merit of First Class. I'm sorry for startling you, but after these last few days...well, things have happened, and this monastery is where the Princess Trista was taken several days ago." Agrias spoke quickly, and then turned away as Lessan tried to reply, heading for the monastery, her large rune sword still at her side, ready. Lessan shook his head slightly, still recovering from the dual onslaught of waking up and facing death. All in a days work for the Hanan, he thought dryly, and then trotted after Agrias, who was just entering the monastery door. _

_However, as Agrias entered the door, there were several flashes of light beyond the wooden entrance, and then silence. Lessan's eyes widened, and his trot swiftly turned into a sprint to the door, and he skidded into the old building. The sight of Agrias raising her sword met his eyes, with Teresa, fully awake, staring at her in amazement. Agrias relaxed slightly, though still keeping her eyes on Teresa's magical bangle, in case she decided to use it again. Teresa turned her eyes to Lessan and started._

"_But, she- my magic, blocked...why- how!" She stared at Agrias, partially in fear, partially in admiration, and Lessan shrugged his shoulders briefly. Teresa had evidently fired off some magical bolts at Agrias, and the woman had somehow negated them._

"_I'm a Rune Knight for the Terl forces; magic is my area of specialty. You have good aim, though." Agrias grinned briefly, and then nodded to Lessan as she moved to the back of the monastery, scanning over the various pews and objects scattered to the outside of the room. Teresa turned to Lessan as soon as Agrias moved out of earshot, and hissed at him anxiously._

"_Who is she? What's she doing here?"_

"_Her name's Agrias, she's a Holy Knight for our side, very highly ranked. I don't have a clue why she's here. Why did you attack her?"_

"_Wouldn't you?"_

_A fair point, Lessan supposed. Teresa was still slightly shell-shocked by being ambushed unexpectedly, and Lessan grinned impishly at her expression._

"_Say, maybe you could teach her something about magic, huh? How about trying to- ow!" Lessan rubbed his arm, frowning mockingly at Teresa, who hit him jokingly on the arm again. Then Agrias' voice floated back to them._

"_The two of you, come here for a minute. I need your help." _

_Lessan started forward straightaway, with Teresa following cautiously behind, still limping quite badly. They wandered up to the front of the monastery, next to the altar, where Agrias waited, her arms folded impatiently. The light had still not fully entered the monastery, and the candlelight that still dominated the interior played off the Knight's features, enhancing her beauty even further. Lessan stared at her, and she gave him a disparaging look of disdain, before speaking again, whilst Teresa couldn't suppress an amused smile._

"_I came here looking for something, it's a blue pendant, it's very important. Could you help me look for it?" She looked at them both, and to her surprise, Teresa spoke up, whilst reaching inside her armor, which she had loosened overnight._

"_You mean this? I found it last night, near to where I rested. I'm Teresa, by the way." Teresa look at Agrias for a moment, and then held out a pendant that had been held around her neck, and clasped it in her palm. Agrias looked at it closely, and then nodded in satisfaction._

"_Yes, that's the one. If I could have it, please- the fate of all may rest on this single jewel." She spoke urgently, and Teresa, realizing that Agrias would merely take it off her should she refuse, started to hand it over. But before she could, the pendant began to glow very brightly, causing both Teresa and Agrias to put their hands to their eyes, shielding themselves from the vibrant blue light. Then it began to pulse, and Agrias realised exactly what was happening. She stepped back, fear covering her face as she stared at the pendant in Teresa's hand in horror, trying to speak, but not able to. Teresa merely looked at it, as the stone began to pulse even more vibrantly, and she could now hear a ringing in her ears. Lessan, however, was seemingly unaffected, and reached for the pendant as if in awe._

"_Whoa, how cool is this? What's it doing?" He grabbed the pendant from Teresa's hand and held it to his midriff, looking down at the shining light in rapture. _

"_NO!" Agrias finally found her voice, and screamed at him through the noise now veritably shrieking in her ears- indeed, Teresa had her hands clapped over her ears, whilst backing away from the jewel, to the side of the monastery. Agrias started towards Lessan, as the younger knight stared at the two females, puzzled- he couldn't hear a thing. But it was too late. _

_The pendant finished pulsing, and for a moment, everybody was still. Lessan looked at it, along with Teresa, and Agrias stopped in her tracks, her eyes now clouded with desperation and terror. Then, a massive, all encompassing beam of light erupted straight from the middle of the stone, a huge beam of blue light- half the size of Lessan- flew at tremendous speed into the first thing that stood in it's way. Lessan was struck by the beam of light, and flew backwards through the air at tremendous speed, legs and arms flailing briefly, before he went straight through the stone wall of the monastery, crumbling part of the wall down before disappearing down the hill, tumbling bonelessly over and over. Teresa was also dealt a glancing blow by the powerful beam, despite being several meters away, and skidded along the center of the monastery, slamming into the door at the other end, knocking herself semi-unconscious in the process. Agrias had been right in front of Lessan, and so flew backwards, flying into a storeroom at the back of the monastery, before slamming brutally into a wall on the far side of the room, collapsing to the floor, unmoving, her hair in disarray around her face. More parts of the wall crumbled where Lessan had been forcibly ejected from the stone building, and littered the floor at Teresa's feet, who stared at the carnage through bleary eyes, her head hurting from the knock she had taken against the door. Her ankle was once again in agony too, having scraped painfully along the floor before she had come to an immediate stop. She fought to hang on to her consciousness for a few minutes, before sense returned to her, and she clambered unsteadily to her feet after several attempts._

_The entire room was now completely unrecognizable as the peaceful, candlelit room that it had been before the unexpected destruction that the pendant had caused. Stone slabs littered the floor all around, especially around the area where Lessan had crashed through the wall at bone-crushing speed, and there was now a large hole from floor to ceiling there. All candles had been blown out, and so sunlight filtered into the monastery through the hole in the wall, creating an eerie surrounding in the building, with dust clouding the air like smoke. Teresa quickly muttered under her breath, and caused a magical glow to emanate from her bangle- the light spell was amongst the most basic of the magic spells. Then the thought suddenly struck her- where were Lessan and Agrias? She hadn't seen what had happened to either of them, and she couldn't see them. She stumbled over to the back of the monastery, calling out both of their names, on the verge of panic, with more than a hint of hysteria in her voice. Eventually she heard the shifting of rubble behind a wall, and Agrias' voice reached Teresa's ears. She almost collapsed with relief._

"_Teresa, is that you? Stand back, I need to get out, I'm trapped in here." The Holy Knight's voice was steady, yet resigned, and Teresa was too shocked at the situation to protest anything. She stepped back from the wall, which obviously concealed the room whose doorway was blocked. Then, a shuffling of feet, and the wall blasted apart. Agrias emerged, her thick blade still glowing blue from the magic blast she had propelled at the wall to escape, looking slightly drained from the exertion. She walked over to Teresa and leaned on her sword, breathing deeply._

"_Are you okay? We were lucky it was only a small blast."_

_Teresa looked at her through her haze of shock, and gave Agrias an incredulous glance._

"_You call that small? And yeah, I'm fine. Where's Lessan?" Teresa had looked around, but not seen her comrade. Agrias winced as she touched her head, which had struck the wall initially, and her hair was now slightly matted with her blood, and replied softly._

"_He went through the wall. We flew in opposite directions, and he got the worst of it..." She spoke cautiously, distractedly, and Teresa instantly ran over to the wall, and peered out into the sunlit surroundings. From the hill that the monastery was on, she had quite a beautiful view from her vantage point, but her attention was entirely focused on the distant figure below. Lessan had rolled all the way down the grassy hill, many hundred meters below, and now lay still in the distance. Teresa looked back at Agrias, who was testing her head wound with her hands, and then ran unsteadily down the hill as fast as her shaky legs would bear her. Agrias sighed to herself, fearing the worst, and knowing what she would find- she knew the power of the stone. She grabbed her sword, re-sheathed it, and jumped nimbly through the hole in the wall, following the tracks of the younger Hanan Knight. _

_Teresa ran down the hill at full pelt, her booted feet slipping occasionally as she headed rapidly down the hill to where Lessan lay, motionless, facing away from her. Thoughts flew through her mind, staying fleetingly before being turned over and away by her conscience. Agrias had said that Lessan had been thrown _through _the wall- how could the stone emit that much power, when it was seemingly harmless. All she could think of was that it could so easily have been her, and felt glad that she was unhurt, when Agrias and Lessan had both come off worse. And yet, with that relief came dreadful guilt, which she struggled to quash as she finally neared Lessan, as the ground leveled. With Agrias making her way more carefully down the steep hill, till wet with morning dew, Teresa approached Lessan, who was laying on his side, and turned away from her. The first thing that she noticed was that he was completely still...no movement whatsoever from her companion. _

_Teresa edged closer still. _

_She could now see that Lessan's armor had been dented terribly, beyond repair, and that it must be digging into him painfully. Moving ever closer, as if scared that he might jump up and scare her, she now noticed that Lessan's hair was matted with blood, staining it from blonde to a pinkish shade. _

_And at last, she reached him. After standing still for a moment, she knelt, and with shaking hands, turned Lessan over with difficulty. For a moment she didn't react, and the young woman just stared down into the face of Lessan Calendar, her Hanan companion. His armor was dented and twisted, and his clothing tattered, but Teresa couldn't keep tear her eyes from his face. His eyes stared sightlessly up into the sky, empty, completely devoid of any emotion or feeling. Blood dripped down from his face onto the floor, steadily flowing, bright red in the harsh sunlight beaming down. Teresa finally reacted, her hand covering her mouth as a horrified expression crossed her features. Lessan was..._

"_Teresa! We need to leave, now! The enemy are coming towards the monastery!" Agrias' frantic voice came from further up the hill, but it passed through Teresa's mind without comprehension. All she could do was stare down at Lessan, her eyes filling with crystal tears. But she was soon jolted from her fascination with her comrade by Agrias, who had deftly jogged down the last portion of the large hill, despite her injuries._

"_Teresa, come on!"_

"_Lessan's dead!" Teresa's pain-filled voice cut across Agrias' plea to leave, and the Holy Knight momentarily stopped in her tracks alongside Teresa, looking down at Lessan's body. Her face was almost without expression, but as she held her injured side, a flicker of pity crossed her face. Though she hadn't known Lessan for very long, he had seemed like a nice person. But the urgency of the situation was in her mind, and she glanced back to see some of the Goltana soldiers heading into the monastery, now far in the distance. It would only be a matter of time before they spotted the two at the base of the hill, and then..._

"_There's nothing we can do, we have to go! Now!" She grabbed hold of Teresa's arm, but the younger knight shook it off angrily, staring at Agrias with tear filled eyes._

"_What are we supposed to do now? Lessan's dead...why..." She broke off tearfully, and the tears spilled down her face, causing Agrias to look away, feeling mildly ashamed. But she knew that their safety was priority, and so she gently placed a hand on Teresa's shoulder as she spoke quietly, with conviction._

"_Look, I understand how you feel, but you can grieve later, when we aren't in danger, Teresa. Let's go."_

_Teresa didn't seem to hear her, and looked down at Lessan, her eyes now apparently taking on a glazed look, as she looked down at her comrade once more. Up at the top of the hill, peering out of the crumbled southern wall of the monastery, Agrias could see a Goltana soldier pointing down at them and gesturing frantically. As she looked up into the glare of the sun, she could then make out the figure that came to the hole, looking down. Kate Cross. Agrias recognized her, and quickly came to the decision that they needed to leave, right now. She took hold of Teresa's arm and started to pull her away from Lessan's blood stained body, in the direction of the nearby woods, feeling the strain in her side and legs as she did so. Teresa resisted angrily at first, not being able to think, but she eventually relaxed as Agrias kept pulling her away from the fallen Hanan knight. Teresa kept looking back at Lessan, as if in a trance, even when the two finally reached the treeline. _


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5- Showdown at Thereus**_

_Dawn had arrived, at the plains of Thereus. The grass swayed gently in the breeze, unaware that it would soon be tattered, torn, and soiled with the blood of both sides. The scenery was breathtaking, the sun now risen above the horizon, and beaming down onto the large, flat fields that housed the future battlefield. The plains of Thereus, who got the name from King Thereus of old, were fairly large, and you could not quite see from one side to another. In a roughly square shape, the capital of Resla was clearly visible from the plains, with the gates standing tall, surrounded by the Terl flag, an imposing sight for anybody indeed. To the east lay the flat lands, endlessly stretching westwards, where they would eventually end at the city of Exlin, a short distance from Goltana's capital. To the north, a thick, large forest, that was filled with shadows, and not much sunlight could penetrate the densely packed foliage there. To the south lay the large mountain range, where many paths ran, and you could see the entire battlefield, including the distant forest, if you could get to the outside of the range, and look outward. The center of the battlefield was flat and richly decorated with greenery, grass everywhere, and stretching in all directions. This was where the conflict would inevitably take place, and Oichi Femet was already there. _

_The pride of the Terl force was standing next to his horse, one hand on the leather saddle, staring out over the grass. It was not very long, and wouldn't impede the march, but perhaps it could be used to their advantage. Oichi frowned to himself slightly, trying to figure out how best to prepare for the battle ahead. The spy's information had proved invaluable, and they could now prepare for the advance of Goltana. The opposing force was larger than theirs, but still, Oichi had known many battles where the smaller force had won through either tactical nous, strategy, or ability in battle. Even so, the opponent they faced today was fearsome indeed, and not even the bright blessings of the sunlight could distract Oichi from that. He vaulted back into his saddle deftly, and then nodded to a man who came up on his right side, also riding a horse._

"_Good morning, Alexis. I'm glad to see you're here." _

"_Wouldn't miss it for the world. Only Victor Eldair, no troubles, right?" Oichi looked sideways skeptically at Alexis, and couldn't help but laugh at the man's grin. Alexis was a trusted vassal of Oichi, and had followed him in the past, helping out Oichi on the battlefield. Now, his gloved hands, still concealed even in the heat, drew out his two long daggers, and twirled them absently. As Oichi watched, he spoke again._

"_You ready, Oichi? You know he'll challenge you, he always does it to everyone he fights. You gonna accept?" He kept on twirling his knives intricately, and looked at Oichi, who was once again staring out across the plains._

"_Oichi?"_

"_If he challenges me, he'll get what he wants. I'll have to show him what it means to be a Holy Knight of the Hanan." He spoke quietly and confidently, and Alexis considered this, nodding slightly. He didn't need to worry about Oichi, he could always look after himself. Better to concentrate on what he had to do. He jumped out of his saddle and sliced at the air a few times, limbering up for the battle ahead._

"_They'll be here soon, you can hear them marching this way already." Alexis spoke the truth, and Oichi could hear it too. The march of the Goltana force could now be heard, rolling across the plains towards them. Oichi motioned to Alexis, and spoke._

"_Hm...too late to make barricades, then. Very well. Alexis, get the men into defensive formation, have the swordsmen at the front, with the spearmen concealed behind them." Oichi voice was quick and decisive, the voice of experience, even at a relatively young age. Alexis, despite being three years older, at twenty-eight, frowned._

"_Swordsmen at the front? But that's not what we normally do..."_

"_Don't worry." Oichi's short reply achieved what it set out to, and Alexis climbed back onto his horse, turning her around and heading back to organize the men, who were tensely waiting a few hundred yards back. As he began to ride back, he called over his shoulder to Oichi._

"_Be back in a minute, and we'll be ready. And where's your girlfriend anyway, I thought she was helping us?" _

_Oichi rolled his eyes in response, and Alexis stuck his tongue out obnoxiously, causing both men to laugh. But as the hooves of Alexis' steed faded behind him, the smile faded from Oichi's face._

"_Agrias...I wonder..."._

_Prince Goltana had led his force from the capital, and had marched swiftly over the plains with his army, largely composed of cavalry. Goltana himself was amongst the soldiers, now riding slightly more leisurely, to allow Victor Eldair's Dark Knights to keep up with them. The entire army was marching together, with Lepidus also along for this part of the journey. Shortly, as they approached the central plains of Thereus, Lepidus detached his unit and headed to the northern forest, after a sincere bow to Goltana, who returned it distractedly. He was assessing the force that now lay ahead of him, clearly drawn up. He couldn't see who was in charge from such a distance, but there seemed to be a lot of men. Goltana turned around, his lined face radiating determination and concentration, and called out to his men._

"_Come forward a few hundred yards, and then get into formation. Let the Dark Knights take the front!"_

_There were some mutters amongst the cavalry as they carried on, but they dutifully got into a strong attacking formation, and then waited. The Dark Knights pulled up shortly, and made an unusual formation in front of them, their black armor looking out of place in the sunlight that beamed down. Victor Eldair himself stood at the front, looking as impressive and imposing as ever, with his silvery hair flowing down his back, and his black clothing matching the armor of his men. His sword Masamune was kept close at his side, the blade covered with it's cloth once more, and looking lethal even when kept dormant. He organized his men efficiently, and then rode back to Goltana, who was also astride his horse, though fully armored in green, unlike the unarmored Eldair. The two sat in silence for a moment, and then Eldair spoke._

"_We are all here...except General Skylar. Where is he?" His voice was flat as ever, and he seemed almost bored with events. Goltana pointed to the southern mountain range, towering above the plains, and casting part of them into shadow._

"_Skylar's up there, he's guarding the pass. We can't let it fall...but forget that. What are you going to do to start, Victor?" His voice seemed almost anxious, and Eldair responded with infinite calmness, and with a look in his eye that nearly made Goltana flinch._

"_I am going to kill them."_

_High to the south, James Skylar scrambled over the rocks, dislodging only a few small pebbles as he negotiated the path, his sure-footedness seeing him through. The sun was still shining down, and it highlighted his vibrant blue hair as he and his mages made their way higher and higher in the pass, to the very highest path. The young man, though fit, was slightly out of breath when he finally clambered to the top of the mountain valley, and looked around at the view, holding his bejeweled staff close to him as he did._

_He was standing at a high part of the crevasse in the mountain, and he was considerably elevated above the main path below, where he had ordered his mages to wait. Across from him was another high ledge, wider than the one he now stood on, but less concealed. Looking to the north, he had a clear view of the plains below, and could see the two sides drawn up, facing each other...the Goltana mage could almost feel the hostility there, just waiting to erupt. The tension was palpable. He turned his handsome face away, and looked down at his mages, calling out to them._

"_Ready? Front group, if you would, please make your way up to the ledge opposite me- you know what to do. The rest of you, please remain at the bottom, and keep the enemy at bay when they come. They may have the larger force by far, but fear not. We shall halt their advance." _

_The front line of mages detached themselves and headed to the ledge across from Skylar himself, clambering over the steep boulders and treacherous path far more fitfully than their leader had. Though, eventually they got their, and lay waiting, their blue robes quite conspicuous against the brown rocks. But it didn't matter, Skylar reasoned, they would be safe. _

_And so the mage unit waited in the southern mountain path- most of the small unit remained at the bottom of the crevasse, far below the mages who were now poised above. Hidden in shadow, and hooded, they somehow looking imposing, yet diminutive at the same time. The mages at the bottom were talking excitedly amongst themselves at the prospect of guarding such an important area, and laughter came from below. Skylar smiled to himself, ruffling his blue hair with one hand, and rested the other on the boulder next to him. Then he heard an almighty roar from behind him, to the north. The young mage turned, his holding his staff next to his light blue robes, and looked north, to the plains of Thereus. It was a breathtaking sight, with the sun framing the large, open lands, with the darkened forest in the far north. Skylar could already see General Lepidus heading towards the forest, at top speed. Shifting his gaze, he looked down at the two sides facing each other once more, neither line of men daring to move without the word of their commander. The Dark Knights leered across at the Hanan, who merely glared back at their insolent opponents. Then, a sudden movement. A man entirely in black, with silvery hair framing his angular face, was riding slowly out of the line of Dark Knights. Victor Eldair walked out, and then shouted over to the Hanan Knights, his voice echoing, the breeze carrying it high and above to Skylar's ears._

"_Is there anyone here who will accept my challenge? Or are the famed Hanan Knights all as cowardly as their King?" The Dark Knights sniggered amongst themselves, as the Hanan Knights in the front line paled at the sight of Eldair, and shifted uncomfortably. Skylar looked to his left, to the west, and quickly scanned the Hanan line with his sharp eyes, curious to see if anybody would dare to face Victor Eldair in single combat._

_In the Terl camp, Oichi Femet, Alexis, and King Terl himself were muttering quietly to one another about the upcoming fight. But then the voice of Eldair floated across to their ears, clearly heard by everybody in the Hanan force. King Terl looked away at that voice, and Alexis looked out with a pained expression on his face. He drew in a deep breath, and opened his mouth to speak, when Oichi stopped him._

"_It's okay. I'll go."_

_Alexis raised his head slightly, and swallowed with difficulty. He turned away for a moment, and looked at the lines of soldiers in front of them, between them and Eldair. King Terl had worry etched into his face, and then put a hand on Oichi's shoulder, speaking through frozen lips._

"_You're the best general we've ever had, Oichi. Just...just do your best...good luck." Oichi nodded, and then urged his horse forward. But he was brought up short by Alexis, who was looking very pale, his eyes glinting in the sunlight._

"_Are you sure about this? You don't have to accept...I could..." He tailed off, looking at the floor. Oichi looked at him for a minute, the breeze fluttering his black hair, and then replied._

"_If I do not accept, they will ravage our army. I have to stop him...I have to. Pray for me, Alexis."_

_Alexis bit his lip sharply, and then spoke in a rush._

"_I will. And, Oichi, you're the best man I've ever known, served under, fought with. I know you'll do yourself proud, no matter what the result. I..." He turned away, his lips writhing, and a flicker of compassion crossed Oichi's focused face, as he put a hand on the shoulder of Alexis._

"_Thanks, Alexis." He could feel the shudders of Alexis as the older man started crying slightly, the tears spilling from his eyes and onto his steed's mane. Oichi took his hand gently away, and then urged his steed forward, his hands very tight on the reins, and his entire body seeming to be rigid. Yet, the Holy Knight's face seemed remarkably calm, as he rode out through the front line of the Hanan._

_Victor Eldair was getting tired of the wait. With the sun illuminating him, he shouted out again, his voice rolling across the flat plains and chilling the nerves of the Hanan soldiers._

"_Is there no-one, in the entire Hanan force? Pathetic. Why don't you all go home now?" _

_The Goltana force started laughing, and the Hanan Knights on the other side bristled with anger and shame, but none moved. Eldair was just about ready to turn his horse back into his own line, when there was a sudden stirring in the rear lines of the enemy. The soldiers started talking excitedly, and Eldair sat up straighter in his seat. As he watched, a soldier dressed entirely in white emerged from the blue uniforms of the Hanan, and rode swiftly out to the center of the battlefield, halfway between the two opposing forces. Eldair stared at him icily for a moment, and then urged his own steed in, stopping when he came within ten yards of the man._

_They faced each other, and Eldair merely stared at the Hanan General, taking him in. He was dressed all in white, with a slim build, that looked deceptively strong- much like himself. In addition, Eldair noticed that they were roughly the same height. He looked at the man's weapons, large twin sabers, now unsheathed and held confidently in both hands. Eldair examined those sabers very closely indeed, and then looked back up at Oichi's face, his eyes boring into the Hanan Knight's._

"_So. Somebody on the Hanan has some courage. I admire you for this, and nothing else. Tell me your name before you die, General. I will be sure to decorate your grave."_

_Oichi flushed slightly, but then replied, holding Eldair's piercing glare with one of his own. _

"_Oichi Femet. Remember it well, people will be hearing it a lot more after this battle- not you, though." Eldair's grey eyes sparked, but the Goltana general merely smirked, and then turned his horse away, moving back ten yards. Oichi stared at the black uniform of the man, and noticed that he had no armor. Oichi himself was wearing a chest plate, and arm-guards. But aside from that, he had merely his white clothing. Glaring at Eldair's back, he then turned his own steed back, and did likewise. Without looking at his own line of soldiers, he went back, and then turned back to face Eldair, who was sitting still on his horse, unsheathing his blade gradually, deliberately, carefully. The black cloth fell away, tumbling over the ground on the breeze, revealing the famed sword of Eldair. It was at least twice as long as either of Oichi's trusted sabers, and thinner too. Oichi couldn't tear his gaze away from it as Eldair turned around, with an almost shark-like look in his eyes- a shark closing in on it's prey. Oichi couldn't help but shiver, and Eldair laughed quietly. Then he stopped abruptly, and then spoke fiercely._

"_Enough. We begin! This place shall become your grave, Oichi Femet!" Eldair spat out the words, and an anger momentarily seized control of Oichi, who shouted back at him, kicking his horse forwards, and raising both of his sabers, one in each hand._

"_Never! You'll never see the light of day again, and the Goltana force will die with you!"_

_As Oichi rode out to face Eldair, King Terl was having an urgent conversation with the spy, Sam, who had volunteered his services as a messenger, albeit reluctantly. The larger man spoke quickly and loudly, to the diminutive Sam, who cowered back on his own horse._

"_Go, now! You must notify my son of Skylar's presence! Tell him to be careful!" Sam saluted hastily, and then dashed off towards the mountain path to the south, flying at full speed. King Terl himself turned back to face the southern mountain, where the unmistakable figure of James Skylar stood, his blue hair and robes clearly outlined against the brownish outcrop of the mountain. Nearly everybody on both sides was eagerly awaiting the start of the duel between Oichi and Eldair, but the sharp-eyed King Terl had spotted Skylar, and immediately sent a messenger off to Jake Terl, who was heading through the mountain path with his mage unit. King Terl thought that his son would now proceed with caution, if he knew that Skylar lay in wait on the path ahead. He reluctantly turned himself back to Oichi and Eldair, who were now trading words in the middle of the battlefield. He could only pray that Oichi would survive, though it was hopeless. Eldair never lost. _

_Oichi's horse dashed towards Eldair, who remained facing him head on, astride his own steed. The Hanan knight raised both of his sabers high over his head, and then brought them both down, with bone-crushing force, towards Eldair's head. The fearsome Goltana champion brought his huge sword up, and parried both blows, seemingly with ease. Oichi carried on past, and then wheeled his horse around once more. Eldair was still just sitting on his steed, making absolutely no move towards him whatsoever. Oichi's eyes burned as he urged his steed forward once more. This time, he thrusted towards Eldair's stomach with one saber, and opted for a high strike again with the other. However, Eldair adjusted his steed slightly, and at the same time, somehow managed to block the lower strike, and move his head aside, so that the high strike passed harmlessly by. With Oichi now off balance, and moving at high speed past him, Eldair just about had time to ram the handle of his sword into the Hanan Knight's side. Oichi lurched sideways on his horse, and then decided to turn the inevitable fall into a jump to the ground, which he took at high speed, rolling in the dirt and quickly getting to his feet. As he looked back to his opponent, Eldair was jumping deftly to the ground from his horse, crouching as he landed, and then rising slowly. He then turned to face Oichi, and walked forward a few steps, his sword held loosely in his right hand. Oichi responded by shaking himself off, and then raising his own twin swords calmly, holding one out straight, with the other at his side. His mind raced, frantically trying to think of a weakness, but he was still partially amazed at the sheer speed and reaction of Eldair. The soldiers of Eldair shouted their support for their leader, and the Hanan Knights responded by being even more vocal in their cheers for Oichi._

_The two men circled each other, and the similar statures sized each other up, neither particularly willing to make a move. Eldair sidestepped lightly to his right, nimble in his movement. Oichi Femet also circled to his right, crisscrossing his feet over one another, fully aware that he wore very little armor. Gripping both swords tightly, he resolved himself to make a move, and zigzagged forward towards Eldair, his blades catching the sun as he went. Eldair stopped and kept his eyes on Oichi's hands intently, waiting for the strike. The Hanan knight went for Eldair's left side, and thrust one of his sabers towards Eldair's ribs, the other sweeping around to his left shoulder. Eldair shifted his huge, yet remarkably light sword up to block to attack aimed at his shoulder, and then with a ruffle of clothing, he was away from the other strike. Oichi whirled around to his left, to see the large sword arcing towards his face. He managed to get his left hand up to block the attack partially, diverting it narrowly past his face. The Hanan champion then jumped backwards, out of harms way, as Eldair came forward again, entirely focused on destroying Oichi. Prince Goltana grinned to himself in a satisfied manner, seeing his officer gain the upper hand. King Terl, far on the other side of the battlefield, kept his face neutral, whilst James Skylar watched with interest and curiosity from above._

_This time, Eldair came forward and went for a powerful thrust with his sword, slicing through the air towards the white-clad stomach of Oichi. It was executed so fast that Oichi barely had time to see it, much less move, but he still managed to desperately turn to the side, where the lethal curvatured blade avoided his torso. But even so, as he spun to his left, the sword cut a large gash in his right arm, causing blood to stain the sleeve of Oichi's battle robes, and the Hanan Knight gasped in pain involuntarily. Knocked to the side by Eldair's strike, he now stumbled to one knee, facing away from his opponent. Turning his head, he saw Eldair, framed by the bright sun like a hawk closing in on its prey, swinging his huge blade down towards Oichi's neck, to finish the battle. Oichi had no time to turn around, so he did the only thing that he could, and brought his two swords over his back, facing towards the ground, in an attempt to stop Eldair's blade from sinking into his flesh and ending everything._

_The mighty sword came hurtling down, crashing against Oichi's blades with tremendous force. But although Oichi had avoided immediate death at the hands of Eldair, the silver-haired man now had his arms pinned down behind his back, over his shoulders. Oichi tried to wrench his arms free, but the strength of Eldair kept his arms, and his twin swords, pressed against his own back. Victor Eldair leaned forward, putting all of his weight onto his own sword, and the twin sabers of Oichi edged closer to his own neck, try as Oichi might to stop it from happening. Eldair leaned ever closer, as the two swords of Oichi started to bite into their holder's skin, and hissed in his ear._

"_You should never have come here, Oichi Femet. This is the end for you."_

_Oichi struggled, and cried out as his own swords pressed into his neck, drawing blood. But as they did so, Oichi gathered immense strength from the depths of his legs, and pressed upwards with his knees._

"_No!"_

_The Hanan knight wrenched his arms upwards, causing Eldair's sword to edge into the air slightly, releasing the pressure on his own neck. Instantaneously, Oichi spun around, slashing at whatever he could with both of his hands, wincing at the pain in his right arm, which was soaked with blood now, due to the earlier hit that Eldair had scored. Gathering his senses, Oichi stepped back, and was amazed to see that Eldair was staring at him with utter hatred, and favoring one leg. One of Oichi's strikes had been aimed low, as he rose upwards, and Eldair had been unable to get out of the way- the sword had cut thinly through the skin on Eldair's right leg, and the blood was visibly flowing. The champion of the Goltana force also had a nasty cut running down the side of his face, where Oichi's second slice had been unintentionally aimed. Eldair's reflexes had saved him from an untimely decapitation, but not the cut. Oichi pressed a hand to the back of his neck, which was stinging badly, and felt the blood loss slowing down. The cut was only shallow, like the gash on Eldair's leg...but the gash in Oichi's arm was far more serious. But fortunately, Oichi was left-handed, and perhaps Eldair would assume that his stronger hand was now weakened. The two approached each other once again._

_As the fight unfolded at the plains of Thereus, Jake Terl and his large unit of mages were negotiating the treacherous mountain paths, and proceeded down the crevasse floor. Jake Terl himself rode at the front of his unit, carrying his staff with him, a red jewel at its center. His brown hair was surrounded by the crown that his father had bestowed on him, and he wore his red mages robes proudly, very distinguishable amongst the black robes of his men, who followed behind him, talking in a relaxed manner amongst themselves. Terl kept looking forward, his eyes fixed ahead, his mind entirely fixated on the glory that would await them at the end of this pass- they would rush Goltana's capital, and then attack their main force from the rear, throwing them into confusion. The victory would be theirs! Jake Terl smirked as he imagined the look that would cross Oichi's face when he discovered that Jake had been the hero of the battle, and not him. He could upstage the Holy Knight, for once! As he lost himself in his daydream, a horse's hooves approached from behind. The mages looked backwards fearfully, into the mists surrounding the crevasse floor, but were relieved to see their own messenger coming through at top speed. Sam had managed to make haste to Jake Terl through the shortcuts of the winding paths, and had finally made it to the King's son, in the nick of time. He made his way nervously up to the man in red, at the front of the large column of mages, and pulled up alongside him. Sam peered at the King's son, who was perched on his horse, and seemed to be lost in thought._

"_Sir?"_

_Jake Terl was startled out of his reverie, and turned on Sam angrily._

"_What? What do you want? You're not part of my unit, why're you here?"_

_Sam visibly wilted, and then stammered out a response, with Jake Terl glaring at him._

"_The King sent me...he told me to warn you that General Skylar is up ahead, and that you should be very careful, an-" Sam ground to a halt as Jake Terl started laughing, and his face burned. Eventually Jake Terl's snickers tapered off, and he replied in an amused tone._

"_Oh, General Skylar? Whatever shall we do?" Sam flushed at the heavy use of sarcasm, and started to speak again._

"_General Skylar is well known to be very powerful, you should be ca-"_

"_That idiot suffers from an over inflated reputation, we'll destroy him where he stands, right men?" His mages gave a resounding cheer, full of confidence, and Jake Terl smirked at Sam._

"_I suggest you get to the back, or leave. If he's up ahead, you wouldn't want to witness the destruction we're gonna inflict on them..."_

_Sam took the hint, and trotted back to the rear of the formation, with Jake Terl's laughs still ringing in his ears, and he kept his head down as he waded back through the formation to the rear. Jake Terl turned back, shaking his head, and brought up his steed suddenly. He could see the blue robes of the Goltana mages up ahead, standing in their way. Jake smiled wolfishly to himself at the size of their force, and then urged his forward in a line. Then, as soon as they got within range, the Terl mages began to fire their magical bolts at the enemy, each person charging up for a few seconds before releasing the balls of energy. Some of the Skylar mages fell straightaway, but most shielded themselves and returned the fire, despite having far fewer in their ranks. As the acrid smoke coming from the staffs rose en masse from the side of the Terl forces, the two forces continued to fire at each other, alternatively shielding themselves and retaliating. Jake Terl remained at the front, expertly deflecting multiple bolts back at their casters, and sending off a few of his own at the same time. But even as he did, he thought it odd that Skylar had so few mages...but his own arrogance shook aside reason, as he assumed that his opponent was merely being overconfident. The two sides prolonged the assault, as the duel continued on the other side of the mountain, in the flat plains._

_Eldair was slightly more cautious due to his injured leg, and Oichi was favoring his left hand even more, trying to ignore the throbbing in his right arm. Eldair smiled icily at Oichi, and spoke, sounding slightly shaken._

"_You deserve praise; nobody's ever lasted this long against me, or drawn blood from me. You're the best I've fought, but...your luck ends here, Oichi Femet." Oichi didn't reply, he didn't trust his voice._

_It was Oichi who broke the deadlock, and moved forward, sweat mingled with dirt on his handsome face, under the sweltering heat of the sun. The white-clad warrior jumped forward, and feinted with his right arm, hoping to draw Eldair into thinking that was still his stronger arm. Then he struck venomously and quickly with his left arm, towards the right arm of Eldair. The Goltana champion, however, did not take the bait- he had been watching Oichi's hands throughout the fight, and had already decided that the Hanan Knight was left handed. He was right. And so when Oichi threw his feinted attack, Eldair ignored it, merely moving to the side and blocking Oichi's left handed strike with his sword. But as he cut towards Oichi in retaliation, the Hanan knight pitched forward again into an acrobatic roll, to avoid the strike. Eldair's eyes seemed to flame, and he spun and went after Oichi with a vengeance, poising his sword on his right shoulder, ready. The Hanan knight himself was up again, and now watched Eldair warily, his blue eyes shining in the sun, almost hidden below the black hair that now draped across his forehead. Eldair came forward, his entire body showing that this time, he would hold nothing back. With his sword ready at his shoulder, Eldair came forward, but was surprised when Oichi leapt forward, once again the aggressor, and struck at Eldair in two different places, again. He crouched with lightning speed, and swept his right hand in an arc along the floor, trying to slice Eldair's feet- but the Goltana champion merely jumped agilely over the blow, and moved forward. Panicking slightly, Oichi thrust his left hand upwards towards Eldair, but missed his target, his blade only cutting through the cloth and skin slightly at Eldair's right shoulder. Still, Eldair winced slightly as he came forward, but that didn't stop him._

_With Oichi still half risen from his crouching attack, Victor Eldair, with his sword still poised in a thrusting position at his right shoulder, pressed his sword forwards with great power, and Oichi could do nothing to stop him this time. The long, thin blade rammed straight through the flesh at Oichi's shoulder, and came out the other side. Oichi screamed in pain, and collapsed backwards onto the grass as Eldair removed his blade calmly, and wiped it on the grass to clean it somewhat. The blood gushed from Oichi shoulder, drenching his entire right arm, and turning his initially white clothing completely red on his right side. He gasped with pain, and some blood trickled out of his mouth as he did, dropping to the floor. The Dark Knights to the east screamed their approval, stamping their feet and cheering raucously. The Hanan knights had now fallen silent, in dread, as their champion fell to the ground, his right arm now effectively useless. Eldair moved forward once more, to finish the job. But he was once again surprised by the resilience of Oichi, who struggled fitfully to his feet once again. With his right arm hanging limply at his side, the blood still flowing, Oichi threw the blade in his left hand straight at Eldair, at point-blank range. Eldair has no chance of avoiding it, but Oichi missed his chance to end the duel right there, as through the red haze that had become his vision, he missed his target of Eldair's head. Instead, the blade almost missed completely, but managed to slice through Eldair's shoulder, in the same place that he had just hit him. The sharp, silvery blade cut deep into the flesh of Eldair, who took a step backwards, clutching his arm with his left hand, the blood now seeping through his fingers, and dropping to the floor. Oichi smiled through the pain as his lost sword arced through the air and sank into the dirt behind Eldair. He transferred the blade from his right hand to his left, trying to steady himself again, and the cheers from his own side rang out across the plains. Victor Eldair took his hand away from the injured skin of his shoulder, and turned back to Oichi, with a glare that would boil water. He took his sword in both hands once more, seemingly not in pain, and then started to come forward once more. Oichi's shoulder's visibly sagged as the impervious Goltana officer advanced, and he realised just how futile it had been to take up the challenge of Victor Eldair. And now, barely able to lift his arms, he would die, in the middle of a field, and his life would end forever, forgotten, carried away on the wind. Eldair could sense his opponent's loss of resolve, and smiled to himself. He too, had worked hard, and the blood came liberally from his shoulder, whilst his leg was in slight pain too. Still, Oichi's entire right side had effectively been rendered useless, and the Hanan knight raised his head to look at Eldair, who saw the abject despair in his bright, blue eyes. _

"_You fought bravely."_

_His silvery hair rippling around him as he spoke, Eldair spoke quietly to Oichi, and his words seemed to destroy the resolve of Oichi completely, as he dropped his remaining saber to the grass, where it landed with a dull thud. Oichi looked down at it, and then glanced up at Eldair dully, working hard to speak through the blood in his mouth._

"_So did you, the rumors about you are all true...I am glad that I had the chance to duel you."_

_He coughed slightly, and spat blood listlessly to the side of him. Eldair nodded, and then moved forwards._

"_Thank you. You will die with your honor intact, Oichi Femet- this, at the very least, you can be assured of. Give my regards to Princess Trista."_

_Oichi stared at Eldair in shock, and took a sharp intake of breath, which turned into a weak cough. He stood, swaying in the wind, as Eldair prepared to deliver the final strike that would slice through Oichi, cutting away his life in the same instant. However, before he could do it, a massive rumbling was heard to the south, and the two generals could feel the ground under their feet vibrating. They both turned towards the mountains to the south, puzzled, and the soldiers followed their gaze, talking amongst themselves. Flashes of light could be seen beyond the rising cliff-face that they could see, punctuated by occasional shouts. A huge flash of red light flashed suddenly, very bright, instantly followed by an even larger flash of blue light, clearly visible against the brown mountains. They all watched intently, but nobody was expecting the entire cliff face to suddenly erupt outwards into the plains, showering both sides with rock, and covering the central area with boulders._

_Jake Terl and his mage unit had steadily advanced up the bottom of the crevasse, as Skylar's smaller band of mages retreated gradually backwards. The Hanan captain shouted and urged on his men with glee, pushing forward and sending several bolts towards the soldiers ahead, his red robes flashing with the color of the lifeblood of his own men, who had fallen behind him. James Skylar watched from up above, calmly. He remained out of sight and silent, and he slowly raised his hand into the air, poised. The mages whom he had earlier positioned on the other side of the crevasse nudged each other and made themselves alert, ready for the inevitable hand fall- the fall of Skylar's hand, that would be the start of the ploy. They stood ready, with their staffs being gripped tightly in their hands. Skylar's men were well trained, and intelligent- but more importantly, they trusted their leader implicitly, and would follow his orders and requests without fail, After all, Skylar's strategies had always succeeded in the past, and he was very magnanimous and generous to his men, and so the mages wanted to help him, rather than feeling the burden of duty on their shoulders._

_Skylar watched his mages fully retreat, and heard Jake Terl voice echoing up to him, from many meters below. Skylar brushed another hand through his blue curls, and listened carefully, his hand steady in the air, with the eyes of the mages on the ledge opposite fixated on it._

"_Hah! The great Skylar is nothing more than a coward! After them men!" A roar came from below as the Hanan mage unit rushed forward, around fifty meters below the ledge where Skylar and his mages were perched, on opposite sides of the pass. As he peered over the edge of his ledge, Skylar's hand dropped; as he saw half of the Hanan mage unit go past him. The mages opposite Skylar, balanced on the ledge on the other side of the pass, immediately started firing at the sides of the crevasse, with higher charged spells. As the bolts of light flew from their staffs, the mages of the Hanan looked up, crying out in surprise, and ultimately, dismay. The energy bolts struck the sides of the crevasse, and loosened the rock, causing massive amounts of stone to plunge into the crevasse, covering the floor with it. With the rumbling ringing in everybody's ears, and dust now in the air, Skylar waved for his mages on the other ledge to move back along, towards the front of the Hanan mage line- the back half had just been obliterated by the rockslide, buried under tones of rock from the crevasse walls, which had effectively come down. Skylar and his mages moved east again to safety, still on the ledges, and the voice of Jake Terl floated up to them once more, sounding enraged behind belief._

"_What the hell was that! Our entire rear and middle sections have been demolished! Wait...up there! Target the mages on the ledges, men! Go!" With that a red beam of light shot up through the dust, striking one of Skylar's ledge mages in the chest, and sending him tumbling over the precarious edge of the crevasse, thudding to the floor below. What remained of Jake Terl's force started to follow his lead, and Skylar's ledge mages also started targeting those below in retaliation. With the advantage of height, Skylar's small band of ledge mages struck down many, but the magical capabilities of Jake Terl kept on taking more of them out, until there were only around fifteen mages on the ledge, with well over one hundred in the force below. James Skylar took in a deep breath, and stopped firing down below to shout across the crevasse._

"_Go! Move back, I'll deal with this! Just head-" Skylar ducked his head slightly, deftly dodging a green bolt of light that flew just over his head. "Just head to the east, and rejoin the other force at the crevasse floor!"_

_The mages over the other side shook their heads as they kept firing and shielding themselves, and one of them shouted back, his voice tinny._

"_But General, there are hundreds of them! What are you going to do! We can't just leave you!"_

"_Don't worry about me, just go! Hurry!" Skylar stopped firing entirely, and held out his palm towards the mages, his face etched with concentration. A second passed, and then a light blue, protective magical barrier appeared around the mages across from Skylar. As the bolts from below were absorbed by the barrier harmlessly, Skylar shouted out._

"_Go! I can't keep it up all day!" He grinned across in spite of the situation, and then dodged to the side as Jake Terl spotted him, and sent a bolt his way._

"_There! Skylar's up there! Ignore the others, everybody target him!" Upon hearing that, Skylar created another barrier for himself, this one deflecting the magical bolts back down below at high speed. As he heard several cries of pain from below, he looked meaningfully at his own mages, still protected, who seemed to be paralyzed. But at last they retreated from sight, and Skylar was able to drop their protective barrier, and focus entirely on his own. Eventually, however, he decided that it would be more prudent to simply duck behind a boulder, rather than waste his energy needlessly, keeping a high-intensity magical barrier. There he waited, his face still calm, and he appeared to be perfectly at ease._

"_STOP!"_

_Jake Terl's voice cut through the noise of magic being fired off, and his mages lowered their staffs, peering through the dust above them. It was dark in the crevasse; the walls of the mountains prevented any sunlight from snaking through into the bottom of the path. Looking back, the crevasse path was completely blocked by the earlier rockslide, and Jake Terl could see that he now only had fifty mages left that could unleash their magic. He ground his teeth together, realizing that any possibility of retreat had vanished._

"_Not that I was going to retreat anyway..." He muttered to himself, and was questioned by the mage next to him, who he snapped at angrily, ordering him to mind his own business. Above, Skylar couldn't help smiling to himself wanly. Jake Terl could see a flicker of a light blue robes behind a large boulder above, and pointed it out to all of his mages silently, so that they all knew where to aim. Looking around, Terl noticed that all other mages were either dead or had retreated, and he smiled nastily to himself as he spoke._

"_Well, General Skylar. At last we meet- I'm Jake Terl, the son of the rightful king." He placed the base of his staff on the floor, and leaned forward on it, carrying on. "I've gotta say, I'm disappointed- your name is known throughout both forces, and yet you find yourself cornered, your unit abandoning you, with minimal effort on our part? Useless." He smirked, but that vanished with Skylar's reply._

"_Minimal effort? And those mages just behind you, to the west? The ones that were lost, because of your lack of strategy? Is that minimal effort on your part?"_

_He spoke without any malice, and was merely stating what had happened, but Terl's face twisted into a snarl, and he sent a bolt of red light flying upwards, where it skimmed past Skylar's sleeve, cracking against the mountain wall behind him. Terl spoke again, ignoring Skylar's words, and pointed his staff at a mage who was about to speak, cutting him off._

"_Skylar, you're cornered. There are over fifty of us- if you surrender...maybe I'll go easy on you, huh?" He smirked again arrogantly, and his mages laughed._

"_Well? What'll it be, Skyla-"_

_He was cut off as Skylar spun around the boulder, the jewel at the center of his staff glowing a bright, vibrant blue, and sent out a powerful jet of light, aimed downwards. The light flew through the air at breakneck speed, striking one of Jake Terl's mages and collapsing him to the floor, where he lay still. But it didn't stop there. The bolt ricocheted off the mage, and flew into another, and another, and another, all of them flying backwards, their eyes rolling up into their heads. It then headed straight for Terl himself, who quickly blocked it with a magical barrier, glowing red in the dusty passage. He looked up in momentary shock, upon seeing Skylar's aim and angle calculation. But, even so..._

"_Fine by me. You can't stay there forever, and you can't take us all. Get him!" Terl voice shouted out, and every single mage started firing again, blasting away at the boulder behind which Skylar was concealed, alone._

_Far further to the east, Skylar's small group of mages were congregated. Only half of the original force was left, and they all huddled together, fearfully listening to the beams of light being shot to the west, back in the crevasse. Here, the sunlight broke through the mountains, as the area was far more open, and the captain of the ledge mages squinted into the gloom in the far distance, vaguely seeing bolts of red and blue light being fired. But there red magical spells were far more frequent, and the captain gave it up, looking down at his feet with a heavy heart. Why had he left his leader? General Skylar had ordered them, but still...they'd abandoned him, to the mercy of many Hanan mages. He couldn't possibly win. One of his soldiers came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, startling him slightly._

"_Cap? Is the General coming back?"_

_The captain looked hard at the soldier, who merely looked back hopefully._

"_The chances are looking slim, my friend. But even if our commander falls, we will fight to the last, right men? His death won't be in vain, and for every Hanan mage that you take with you, remember the kindness he's always shown us- we'll wipe them out for killing our leader!"_

_The soldiers behind him cheered resoundingly, and the captain raised his hand with them. But his mind was filled with doubt over everything right now, including the survival of his long-time commander. It wasn't looking likely._

_At that moment, Skylar was thinking the same thing. He jolted out behind his boulder once more, staff and hand both glowing light blue, and fired off a few more shots, blocking several more with the barrier that was conjured by his hand. Dodging quickly behind his boulder again, he wiped some sweat from his face, and crouched down, taking a quick rest. He was using up his energy through all of the blocking of spells, and unleashing magic of his own on the Hanan below, and he felt slightly tired now. He sat on the floor, behind the large boulder, and tried to ignore the spells flying past and into the boulder, to gather his mind and body together again. The mage commander of the Goltana force had disabled many of the enemy below, well over half, by his estimates- but they kept firing, and he was tired from constantly conjuring up his shields. Still, he smiled wryly to himself- the show must go on. He clambered to his feet again, ready to launch himself out into the danger area again, when Jake Terl's loud voice screamed above the flashes and cracks of the magic._

"_Stop firing, it's time to finish this!"_

_At the bottom of the crevasse floor, Jake Terl picked up his staff in both hands, and closed his eyes, concentrating. His force fell silent, and stopped firing. Many of them staggered backwards, exhausted from keeping up the assault on Skylar, who now peeked around the side of his boulder, curiosity overcoming him. He saw Jake Terl closing his eyes, his face screwed up tightly in utter concentration, and Skylar noticed that the red jewel at the center of Terl's golden, inlaid staff was glowing very brightly indeed, with a strong, almost blinding light emanating from it. Skylar realized what it was at once, and knew he had to act. He jumped out from behind his boulder, dropping his blue staff in the process, and summoned up all of his energy reserve and power, for a final onslaught. A few of the Hanan mages fired very halfhearted bolts at him, which he blocked with ease. Jake Terl heard it, and furiously concentrated, with obsessive hatred in his eyes as the red light grew bigger, and bigger, and bigger. He couldn't see what Skylar was doing, as the Goltana mage was hiding his hands to the side of him, out of sight of Jake._

_But Jake's mage unit noticed, and started shouting at him to stop, but he ignored them, keeping his eyes locked on Skylar's handsome, concentrating face, which seemed remarkably calm in comparison. Eventually, drained of almost all of his magical energies, he thrust his staff forward into the air, unleashing a huge beam of light from his staff, meters wide and long, which burst through the air, straight up towards Skylar, blinding everybody below with the vivacity of the color. Terl grinned to himself dementedly as his most powerful spell shot through the air, sweat dripping from his face._

_Skylar was up on the ledge, concentrating feverishly on his own counter spell, and realizing that only one course of action was open to him. He would never be able to block Terl's most powerful spell, and still live- he would simply be blasted into the mountain wall behind him, and break all of the bones in his body in the process. And so, Skylar did all that he could think of- he would simply have to negate it with his own spell. And so, he built up his own spell, tracing patterns through the air with both of his hands, and disguising what he was doing from Terl, below. He had just finished charging his spell, when he heard Jake Terl's spell erupt from his staff, heading straight upwards at Skylar. Skylar turned to see the massive red light heading straight for him, and then threw his hands out in front of him and yelled out, his hands and arms pulsing a vibrant light blue with magic, and his face anxious for the first time._

"_Go!"_

_As the red light was only meters from his face, an all-encompassing blue light exploded from Skylar's hands, flying outwards from his body. Skylar himself was thrown backwards into the mountain wall behind him, and had the wind knocked from his body. But he still had the presence of mind to cast one final protective bubble around himself, to prepare for the destruction that his spell would inevitably cause. The blue light collided with the red spell of Jake Terl, and the intensity and size completely overwhelmed the first magical spell, in spite of its power. Jake Terl had one second to gape at the colossal power of the spell heading directly for him, and finally realised that he had been wrong about James Skylar's abilities. Very wrong indeed._

I always lived my life thinking that I'd last forever, that it would be filled with gallant adventures, spectacular feats, joyous occasions. I spent my childhood in Resla, being trained entirely for the moment when I might represent my country, and ascend to the throne in place of my father. Death never even entered my mind- I was young, headstrong, and ultimately foolish. I trusted too much to my own strength, and threw myself vigilantly into situations, thinking that ability would see me through. But...that's not always enough, when you come against something, or someone, that is greater than you. And I was just getting realize that, to discover what it meant to be a true warrior, not merely an arrogant prince, when...I died.

_The explosion was heard miles and miles from the battlefield. Those in the city of Exlin heard the echoes and looked to the skies, fearfully. The residents of Resla had a prime view- those who were outside, and saw the mountain that was closest to the southern edge of the battlefield literally blow apart. Massive chunks of rock, as large as houses, flew up into the air and came crashing down to earth- some even flew as far as Resla, and caused some damage to several buildings in the city square. Rock blew outwards across the battlefield, scattering the plains of Thereus, and treating both sides to a showering of large and small rocks. Soldiers clamped their hands to their ears in agony as the sound rang in their ears, and many fell to the floor. The mountain itself was completely obliterated, and the soldiers from both sides could see nothing inside, due to the large amounts of dust obscuring their view. Everything seemed to stop, time itself appeared to be bent, and ground fitfully to a halt. King Terl looked dumbfounded as he stared to the south, at the mountain that was no longer there, merely the remainder of the mountain range. Prince Goltana had a remarkably similar expression on his face as he also gawped at the destruction to the south, confusion evident on his face. Everybody fell silent for a moment, looking at the southern mountain range, and waiting._

_The mage captain of the Goltana force was, at that very moment, peering through the gloom of the crevasse- the passage that was no longer there. There was a massive, open area where thousands of tones of rock had simply been either blown away or vaporized in an instant._

"_General?"_

_His voice echoed through in the open space, and was met with no response. He looked nervously back at the soldiers a few paces behind him, and then kept going forward._

"_Surely nobody could've survived that..."_

"_What WAS that anyway?"_

"_How in God's name did-"_

_The soldiers anxious and shocked voices floated in behind him, and the captain stopped in his tracks abruptly, looking down at his feet. He bent down slowly, and knelt to the floor, his eyes filling with tears even before he picked up the blue staff of his leader. He turned back, and was about to somehow let the mages know of their leader's fate, when a voice, terrible weak and frail, came from the darkness and mist to the north._

"_Give me...give me...my staff, captain."_

_James Skylar walked very slowly out of the gloom of the mountain pass, his blue magical barrier crackling around him, as if angered by the punishment that it had endured. The mage limped forward a few more steps, before the barrier dissipated and died altogether, winking out of existence with an indignant final flash of magical energy. Skylar stumbled and fell to his knees, and instantaneously, three mages rushed forward to help him to his feet. Skylar nodded his appreciation, and grasped his trusted staff with one shaking hand, using it as support. The blue jewel at the center glowed very faintly as he did, and the captain surveyed his leader with utter admiration, bordering on fear._

"_Sir, what happened? And how on earth did you-"_

"_Not..." Skylar coughed weakly, his eyes flickering. "Not now. Let's, l-let's get back to our own force, we need to rest." His voice was so frail, that the captain could see that he was right. He nodded, and called to the rest of the mages to head out into the central plains, where the main battle was taking place. As they all marched out, talking excitedly amongst themselves in amazed voices, Skylar spoke to the captain privately, with the other soldiers helping him along._

"_Get Jake Terl's body...it needs to be returned to where he belongs..."_

"_But, sir!" The captain was shocked, but he didn't say anything further as Skylar coughed again, and almost tripped over his light blue robes, which were now stained with brown mountain dust._

"_It's the right thing to do..."_

_The captain nodded in bemusement, and then ordered three soldiers to bear Jake Terl's body, which lay near to where they stood- perfectly preserved by Skylar's spell. The captain shook his head in admiration again at Skylar's attention to detail, and his sense of righteousness, and then the group marched out into the beaming sunlight- the new entrance to the plains of Thereus._


End file.
